Egypt U23 boss Rogério Micale has revealed that the EFA have already started talks to include Mohamed Salah in their 2024 Summer Olympics squad.
The Young Pharaohs qualified for the 2024 Summer Olympics after finishing second in the 2023 U23 AFCON, losing to hosts Morocco in the extra-time.
Despite the final defeat, Micale believes Egypt have everything to succeed in Paris, revealing that his main goal is to win the Pharaohs their first-ever Olympic medal in football.
“We lost the final by a narrow margin, but we’re satisfied because the objective was to reach Paris,” Micale told Brazilian news outlet Jovempan.
“We believe that the year-long work has been well done. Egypt is content, and there’s excitement in the country.
“We’ve shown great potential. Until the final, we hadn’t conceded a single goal. It’s a reason for joy. We have everything to have a great Olympics.
“My main goal and Egypt’s goal are to win a medal. So far, the country has not had a podium finish, nor reached a semifinal. To achieve that, we have to rely on the talented players who come from professional teams.
“As I said, I have a lot of belief in this team. Despite all the obstacles we initially had, we managed to turn the situation around. Now, we live with high expectations of winning a medal. I believe.”
Micale, who Brazil their first-ever gold medal in 2016, believes that the addition of Mohamed Salah would boost Egypt’s chance of a medal, but insisted it won’t be easy to have the Liverpool superstar.
“I want to have Salah. It’s a conversation we’ve already started, but it depends on various factors, like Liverpool’s approval. If everything goes well, I want to be able to count on him. He’s a strong reinforcement that can give us more hope to win a medal.
“Regarding new talents, we’re seeing Ibrahim Adel emerge and he won the MVP in the U23 Africa Cup of Nations. I can’t compare him to Salah, who has already reached a very high level, but he has similar characteristics.
“He’s got good speed, skill, and a strong one-on-one ability. He can drag the defense and even has some Brazilian traits. He has a lot of potential to make a big impact internationally.
“I also believe strongly in Ahmed Kouka, who has a lot of potential. Defensively, we also have Hossam Abdelmaguid.”
When asked about Egypt’s bid to host the 2030 World Cup alongside Saudi Arabia and Greece, Micale said: “If it depended solely on the passion for football, the World Cup would take place in Egypt tomorrow.
“I’ve never seen anything like it. When it comes to love for football, Egyptians are beyond extraordinary. It’s impressive how much they love football. They can easily fill stadiums with 70,000, 80,000 people.
“However, in terms of infrastructure, improvements are needed, such as physical structures and fields. It’s not enough to host a World Cup.
“I recently went to Morocco, and I can say that they are prepared to host the World Cup. The stadiums, training centers… everything is very good and new.
“In Egypt, there’s still a need for more structured and organized facilities. It’s not yet Egypt’s time to meet the World Cup demands,” he expressed.
