The star of the Egyptian national team and Liverpool FC, Mohamed Salah, posted a photo with members of the Pharaohs team from inside the plane that took them to Cameroon for the Africa Cup of Nations, which kicks off today, Sunday. The photo, which Salah accompanied with the Egyptian flag and an expressive heart emoji, represents another motivating message directed at the Egyptian public to encourage them to support their national team.
Egypt is preparing to face Nigeria on Tuesday in the first round of Group D, hoping to secure the title that has been absent from the Pharaohs' land for 12 years. Egypt is in the group along with Nigeria, Guinea-Bissau, and Sudan.
A few days ago, the beloved Pharaoh Mohamed Salah sent a message to the Egyptian public urging them to stand behind the team in the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations. Salah shared a photo of himself celebrating one of his goals with the national team on his official Twitter account, captioning it: "The road isn't easy, but we will fight to bring back the cup. Stand with us, support Egypt."
Salah's message received many positive responses and comments, and the player made sure to send it before joining the Egyptian team’s training.
Meanwhile, the Portuguese coach Carlos Queiroz stated that he is praying for the speedy recovery of players and staff affected by the COVID-19 virus before the team traveled to participate in the Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon.
In the last hours before the Egyptian team’s departure, the situation quickly evolved as the number of affected players and staff increased. The Egyptian Football Association announced positive COVID-19 tests for goalkeeper Mohamed Abu Gabal, goalkeeping coach Essam El-Hadary, team manager Mohamed Salah, and team administrator Ali Mohamed Ali, in addition to one of the staff members, who have all been isolated.
The positive tests also continued for performance analyst Gerard Mour and rehabilitation specialist Mustafa Sadek, who contracted the virus before the team's gathering. Additionally, player Ibrahim Adel tested positive.
The team faced another setback as the medical staff announced that left-back Mohamed Hamdi would not be able to join the squad. Queiroz said in a message published by the Egyptian Football Association, "The more the situation becomes difficult and complicated, the greater our unity and standing together." He added, "We are stronger together. It’s best that we all stand and focus our attention on what we need to do for the challenges."
Queiroz sent a message to the injured players and staff, saying, "We are all praying for your health. We hope for a speedy recovery and a return to our team." Sources within the Egyptian Football Association indicated that an investigation is currently underway to determine the causes of the COVID-19 outbreak among the team members, despite the isolation of the team camp over the past four days.
