Egypt Olympic soccer coach Hany Ramzy will call up veteran midfielder Ahmed Hassan to the squad facing Sierra Leone in the 2012 CAN qualifiers next month.
The former Werder Bremen defender named 29 youngsters in his provisional squad, with skipper Hassan providing experience.
“I decided to recall Hassan as he is the team captain. It is a tribute to him after all what he had done for Egypt. In addition to that, the team need him,” Ramzy told Goal FM with Ahmed Shobier.
Hassan, who has 175 international caps for Egypt, sustained a serious knee injury in the first game against Sierra Leone last September.
The 36-year-old Zamalek man is only three matches away from equaling the record of Saudi Arabia’s Mohamed Al-Daeyea as the world’s most capped footballer of all time.
Egypt Squad List for Sierra Leone’s Game
Egypt squad
Goalkeepers: Mohamed Abou-Gabal, Ali Lotfi (ENPPI), Ahmed Al-Shennawi (Masri), Mohamed Bassam (Gaish)
Defenders: Islam Ramadan (Harras Hodoud), Ali Fathi (Arab Contrators), Ahmed Hegazi, Mahmoud Wahid (Ismaili), Moaz Al-Hennawi (MCDR), Mohamed Abdul-Fattah (Ahli), Saad Samir (Masri), Salah Soliman (Ghazl Mahalla), Ahmed Maher (Zamalek), Ahmed Sobhi (ENPPI)
Midfielders: Amr Al-Sulaya (Ismaili), Mohamed Al-Nenni (Arab Contractors), Hossam Hassan (Masri), Omar Gaber, Hossam Arafat (Zamalek), Ahmed Magdi (Ghazl Mahalla), Hesham Mohamed (Ahli), Mohamed Gamal (Tersana), Ahmed Hamoudi (Smouha), Saleh Gomaa, Mahmoud Abdul-Monem ‘Kahraba’ (ENPPI), Ahmed Hassan (C) (Zamalek FC)
Strikers: Mohamed Salah, Ali Afifi (Arab Contracors), Marawan Mohsen (Petrojet), Ahmed Sherweda (Masri)
