Minister of Youth and Sports Gohar Nabil has stressed the importance of Mohamed Salah, the Liverpool and Egypt player, being present at the Pharaohs’ November camp. Ministry spokesman Mohamed El-Chazly set out this position to the press.
Last week, Minister of Youth and Sports Gohar Nabil spoke with Hany Abou Rida, president of the Egyptian Football Association (EFA), and the two men discussed, among other things, the national team’s November camp, according to Youm7 and Gomhuria Online. The minister stressed the importance of Mohamed Salah being present at that camp, according to Youm7 and Sout Al-Malaien.
Ministry spokesman Mohamed El-Chazly detailed the ministry’s argument. According to Youm7, Salah “does not represent Egypt as one of the players, but he is a symbol, a captain and an ambassador of the national team”, he said. A status that, in the ministry’s eyes, goes beyond the framework of matches.
A role that goes beyond the pitch
In detail, the ministry expects Salah to play a role “on the pitch, off it, and even on the bench, because his value goes beyond simply taking part in matches”, according to El-Chazly’s remarks relayed by Youm7 and Gomhuria Online.
One point the sources do not settle remains: Salah’s actual presence at the camp is, at this stage, not confirmed. The ministry’s statements set out an expectation, not a commitment from the player. The sources report neither a withdrawal nor any disagreement between the parties.
Abou Rida received in Ankara
In parallel, Hany Abou Rida, also a member of the FIFA Council, was received on Saturday in Ankara by Ibrahim Hacıosmanoğlu, president of the Turkish federation, according to Youm7 and Sout Al-Malaien. The two federations agreed to draw up a cooperation protocol covering the exchange of training camps for youth and women’s national teams, as well as joint programmes for refereeing and talent, according to Youm7.
Youm7 considers this visit important for the Salah file and the national team. However, no direct link between this protocol and the player’s presence in November is established in the sources.
November in sight
For the ministry, the deadline is clear: the Pharaohs’ camp in November 2026, with Mohamed Salah’s presence still to be confirmed. Gohar Nabil and his spokesman’s remarks now call for a response from the player and his entourage; no reaction from the player himself appears in the sources.
The second appointment concerns the signing of the cooperation protocol between the Egyptian and Turkish federations, agreed in principle in Ankara and still to come.