CAIRO: Egypt technical staff refuted reports claiming that they had called on the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) to earn Mahmoud “Shikabala Abdel-Razeq a suspension reprieve.
The Zamalek winger was handed a two-match ban for swearing at his own club s fans after the White Knights 1-0 loss to Ismaili in the Egyptian Premier League last month.
Media reports said that Egypt coach Hassan Shehata is planning to name Shikabala in his squad for next month s crucial World Cup qualifier with Algeria, and thus asked the EFA to allow him to play in the league.
However, an Egypt coaching staff member told FilGoal.com: No one has asked the EFA to reprieve Shikabala, nor has an intention of doing so.
The 23-year-old will miss Zamalek s league games against Gouna and Military Production, therefore his chances of receiving a call-up are thought to be negligible.
Egypt need to defeat Algeria by a three-goal margin to guarantee a World Cup spot.
