Egypt coach reveals secrets about World Cup qualification

Dubai :  Argentine Hector Raul Cuper, who coached Egypt to qualification for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, on Wednesday revealed some secrets about how his team qualified for the tournament in Russia.

On day one of the two-day 12th Dubai International Sports Conference here, Cuper, who took over the Egyptian team in 2015, said: "The way to manage a team in Egypt is very similar to other countries. However, the Egyptian attitude overall is very humble and young players have a lot of respect for people who are older than them like their parents or the coach."

Cuper, former coach of Parma and Valencia added: "It was important during the last two years to keep the balance wisely, I had to motivate the players, convince them of a certain playing style, I also had to keep them happy."

It is the third time for Egypt to enter the FIFA World Cup and the first time in 28 years (the last time Egypt participated was 1990 edition in Italy).

Egypt finished the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations as runners-up after the "Pharaohs" (nickname of the Egyptian national team) under Cuper lost to Cameroon in the final. The tournament helped Egypt rise from 60th in December 2016 to 19th in May 2017 in the FIFA World Rankings.

In Group A of the FIFA World Cup which will run from June 14 to July 15, 2018, Egypt will play against hosts Russia, fellow Arab neighbour Saudi Arabia and South American powerhouse Uruguay.