EGYPT will miss the services of in-form 18-year-old Ramadan Sobhi of Al Ahly in their Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Tanzania because he needs to sit his school exams.
The Pharaohs will face Tanzania in Dar es Salaam on 4 June needing just one point to seal qualification for Gabon 2017.
“Ramadan Sobhi will not be able to play in the next match because he should be in Egypt for his high school exam,” Egyptian national team director Ihab Lehta announced.
“The game will be on 4 June and his exam is on 5 June, and we failed to book him a plane ticket straight after the game so he will not be with the Egyptian delegation” Lehta said.
“That is a big blow for us as Ramadan is one of the most important players in the national team but we trust in the other players too” he added.
Sobhi played a big role for Egypt in their last two 2017 Nations Cup qualifiers against Nigeria.
He made a goal for Mohamed Salah in Kaduna when the match ended 1-1, and then scored the winner as Egypt won 1-0 in Alexandria in the return match.
Egypt’s head coach, Hector Cuper, named six foreign-based players last week in his squad ahead of the Tanzania match including Roma’s Salah, and Arsenal’s Mohamed Elneny.
Cuper will announce his home-based players this week after the conclusion of the Egyptian League.
