This weekend of Pharaohs Abroad action could witness a great spectacle for Egyptian football fans as all Pharaohs plying their trade in England could possibly be on the same pitch, at the same time.
- Match: Brighton vs. Hull City
- Venue: Amex Stadium, Brighton
- Date: Saturday 9th of February 2013
- Time: 19:20 ( Egypt Time)
- Channel: Al Jazeera Sport +6, Sky Sports 2
- League: npower Championship
- Clash of the Pharaohs: Adam El-Abd vs. Elmohamady, Fathi & Gedo
This clash comes 3 days after three players from the Egyptian quartet started Egypt’s 1-2 defeat against Chile on Wednesday in a friendly match in Vicente Calderon stadium in Madrid. El-Abd, Fathi and Gedo saw action for the Pharaohs while Elmo didn’t feature. Thursday morning, the players flew back to England where Hull City new on-loan signings Ahmed Fathi and Mohamed Nagy ‘Gedo’ were unveiled to the press.
El-Abd has been a regular starter and is expected to start the match alongside new on-loan signing Mathew Upson in Brighton’s defense. The Seagulls are currently eighth in the Championship, five points off the top six. On the other hand, Hull City lie third in the table behind Leicester on goal difference and will be hoping for dream debuts from their new Egyptian pair. Elmo is expected to start for the Tigers however Steve Bruce will assess the fitness of Fathi and Gedo prior to throwing them in the mix as it was clear from his words to the Hull Daily Mail: “They’re extremely tired. They’ve been on trains, planes and automobiles this week to get here.”
Bruce praised the duo, however, understands the challenges ahead of them, “There’s no question about their ability. You don’t become a regular for the Egypt national team if you can’t play. The big issues are how fit they are and how quickly they can adapt to English football.”
Gedo emerged with a sense of excitement and anticipation, telling the club’s official website, “I am very happy to be here at Hull City and I am delighted that I have been able to come here with my colleague Ahmed Fathi to join with Ahmed Elmohamady and a great club,” said Gedo.
“I very much want to make sure I leave a good impression here by the end of the season.
“With the future and vision of the local game at home being unclear at the moment (in the wake of the Port Said disaster), it helped to make my decision to come here. There was no doubt that I wanted to come here.
“The fact that the Allam family own and run the club is a very positive thing for me because they are compatriots of mine. I am sure that will have a huge influence on how I adapt to the club.”
Fathi also spoke to Hull City’s website rebuffing claims that fitness would be an issue: “I don’t think the fitness will be a problem. I have been training well with Al-Ahly and we’ve played in the African Champions League and World Club Cup recently.”
KingFut.com will keep all eyes on the Amex Stadium this Saturday, as Egyptians hope to see the Pharaohs thrive on English soil.
(Image courtesy of Hull City’s official website)
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