Shehata, who has led the country to the last three Africa Cup of Nations titles, had come under extreme pressure to resign following his side’s dismal start to their 2012 qualification campaign, which has seen them take just one point from their three matches to date.
The latest loss came on March 26 when his side were beaten 1-0 by South Africa to leave them bottom of a pool that also includes Niger and Sierra Leone.
Shehata was already under scrutiny for his support of ousted Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak, which led to many fans calling for his head even before the Bafana Bafana defeat.
But the Egyptian FA held an emergency meeting this week to discuss the coach’s future, and have decided to retain him for the remainder of the 2012 qualifiers at least.
“The FA decided in a board meeting led by chairman Samir Zaher to renew confidence in coach Hassan Shehata and his staff to lead the first team in the next phase,” a statement on the FA’s website read.
“This is based on the board’s utmost belief in Shehata’s abilities and what he had achieved for Egyptian football during the past few years.”
While there have been growing calls for him to quit, including from his own son, TV presenter Karim Shehata, and national team striker Amr Zaki, Shehata senior has remained stout in his stance that he will not walk away from the job.
But another defeat to South Africa in June, or perhaps even a draw which would rule them out of winning a place in Equatorial Guinea and Gabon next year, and it will surely be tickets for the 61-year-old, who took charge of the team in 2004 and remains the longest-serving coach on the African continent.
Originally posted here:
Egypt Coach Hassan Shehata Survives … For Now