Hector Cuper has rejected rumours of internal unrest among his Egypt squad as they look to “bow out of the World Cup in style” against Saudi Arabia on Monday.
Group A’s two bottom sides, already eliminated following two defeats each, bring down their respective campaigns at the Volgograd Arena in Volgograd.
Egypt’s time in Russia has been disappointing, with a last-minute 1-0 loss to Uruguay and a comprehensive 3-1 defeat to hosts Russia ending hopes of advancing to the knockouts for the first time.
However, troubles on the pitch were reported to have spilled over off it as well, with goalkeeper and captain Essam El Hadary, 45, said to have clashed with the goalkeeping coach and players following the Russia reverse.
El Hadary, yet to play this tournament, is aiming to become the oldest player to participate in a World Cup. He is expected to replace Mohamed El Shenawy in goal for the Saudi Arabia match.
El Hadary was asked at the pre-match press conference on Sunday about friction between him and his colleagues, prompting Cuper to step in.
“First of all, there’s always a lot of talk around football, a lot of rumours swirling around the team,” the Argentine said. “But I would actually ask whether there’s any evidence of this. Because if you don’t have any concrete proof I don’t have to answer this question. I always say that within the team there’s a great harmony, that’s why we’ve made it as far as we have."
El Hadary added: "If I was making trouble in the team then I don’t deserve to be in the team."
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Read more:
World Cup 2018: Day 11 live updates
Saudi Arabia target three points against Egypt, have plans to 'contain' Mohamed Salah
World Cup 2018: Who's in and who's out
World Cup 2018: Messi overreaction, Salah's early exit and 10 worst moments so far
Pizzi vows players 'will make Saudi Arabia proud' in World Cup dead-rubber against Egypt
Continental drift: out of Africa and seemingly out of the World Cup
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Cuper put Egypt’s defeat to Russia down to a 15-minute period in which they conceded three goals, insisting his players had generally played well in both their matches.
He accepted criticism of his tactics, perceived to be too defensive, and conceded that Mohamed Salah’s injury had adversely affected his team. The Liverpool forward, recovering from a shoulder injury, was an unused substitute during the Uruguay match and looked off the pace upon his return to the starting line-up against Russia. He did score a late penalty, though.
However, Cuper said he and his side were determined to show their value against Saudi Arabia and register what would be a first win in a World Cup for the country. Egypt are making their third appearance at a global finals and first in 28 years.
“I’m not sad, I don’t share the opinion the team didn’t perform well,” Cuper said. “We came to the World Cup saying we needed to focus on what we’re doing well. Because I can only repeat: I’m really satisfied with what we’ve done. I wouldn’t say happy - that’s too far - but I’m satisfied. We committed minor errors in matches and what we want to do is then bow out in style in the next match.
“For us this is an important match, particularly because we want to end this participation in the World Cup on a high note, with a good result. And once again we’re playing for all people in Egypt; we want to give them joy.
"We want to end this World Cup with a triumph, even though this might be only a footnote in the future. But for Egypt to win a first World Cup match would be something very important.”
Meanwhile, Cuper was asked about the controversy surrounding Egypt's choice of Grozny as their base, and Salah’s perceived “exploitation” by Ramzan Kadyrov, the Chechnya head of state. Kadyrov said on Saturday that he had given Salah honorary citizenship in Russia’s most contentious republic.
“Fifa offered us a couple of choices when it came to setting up the base camp and we chose Grozny from that list,” Cuper said. “And that’s all really. And the other topic talking about Salah, I don’t know exactly how he was used in any populist way. I don’t really understand that. This image of Mohamed, the entire team went to Grozny.
“Once again, I can only repeat, Fifa offered us a choice of seven or eight different places, we had a look at them and Grozny seemed to be the best choice. And everybody agreed with that, this wasn’t only my opinion.”
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
How to help
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200
WOMAN AND CHILD
Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
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Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
End of free parking
- paid-for parking will be rolled across Abu Dhabi island on August 18
- drivers will have three working weeks leeway before fines are issued
- areas that are currently free to park - around Sheikh Zayed Bridge, Maqta Bridge, Mussaffah Bridge and the Corniche - will now require a ticket
- villa residents will need a permit to park outside their home. One vehicle is Dh800 and a second is Dh1,200.
- The penalty for failing to pay for a ticket after 10 minutes will be Dh200
- Parking on a patch of sand will incur a fine of Dh300
Getting there
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly to Johannesburg or Cape Town daily. Flights cost from about Dh3,325, with a flying time of 8hours and 15 minutes. From there, fly South African Airlines or Air Namibia to Namibia’s Windhoek Hosea Kutako International Airport, for about Dh850. Flying time is 2 hours.
The stay
Wilderness Little Kulala offers stays from £460 (Dh2,135) per person, per night. It is one of seven Wilderness Safari lodges in Namibia; www.wilderness-safaris.com.
Skeleton Coast Safaris’ four-day adventure involves joining a very small group in a private plane, flying to some of the remotest areas in the world, with each night spent at a different camp. It costs from US$8,335.30 (Dh30,611); www.skeletoncoastsafaris.com
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid
When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
Read more from Aya Iskandarani
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The five pillars of Islam
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More on Turkey's Syria offence
'Joker'
Directed by: Todd Phillips
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix
Rating: Five out of five stars
Cinco in numbers
Dh3.7 million
The estimated cost of Victoria Swarovski’s gem-encrusted Michael Cinco wedding gown
46
The number, in kilograms, that Swarovski’s wedding gown weighed.
1,000
The hours it took to create Cinco’s vermillion petal gown, as seen in his atelier [note, is the one he’s playing with in the corner of a room]
50
How many looks Cinco has created in a new collection to celebrate Ballet Philippines’ 50th birthday
3,000
The hours needed to create the butterfly gown worn by Aishwarya Rai to the 2018 Cannes Film Festival.
1.1 million
The number of followers that Michael Cinco’s Instagram account has garnered.
Indika
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Three tips from La Perle's performers
1 The kind of water athletes drink is important. Gwilym Hooson, a 28-year-old British performer who is currently recovering from knee surgery, found that out when the company was still in Studio City, training for 12 hours a day. “The physio team was like: ‘Why is everyone getting cramps?’ And then they realised we had to add salt and sugar to the water,” he says.
2 A little chocolate is a good thing. “It’s emergency energy,” says Craig Paul Smith, La Perle’s head coach and former Cirque du Soleil performer, gesturing to an almost-empty open box of mini chocolate bars on his desk backstage.
3 Take chances, says Young, who has worked all over the world, including most recently at Dragone’s show in China. “Every time we go out of our comfort zone, we learn a lot about ourselves,” she says.
SPECS
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How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
Race card for Super Saturday
4pm: Al Bastakiya Listed US$250,000 (Dh918,125) (Dirt) 1,900m.
4.35pm: Mahab Al Shimaal Group 3 $200,000 (D) 1,200m.
5.10pm: Nad Al Sheba Conditions $200,000 (Turf) 1,200m.
5.45pm: Burj Nahaar Group 3 $200,000 (D) 1,600m.
6.20pm: Jebel Hatta Group 1 $300,000 (T) 1,800m.
6.55pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round 3 Group 1 $400,000 (D) 2,000m.
7.30pm: Dubai City of Gold Group 2 $250,000 (T) 2,410m.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
When is VAR used?
• Goals
• Penalty decisions
• Direct red-card incidents
• Mistaken identity
Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
Available: Now
It Was Just an Accident
Director: Jafar Panahi
Stars: Vahid Mobasseri, Mariam Afshari, Ebrahim Azizi, Hadis Pakbaten, Majid Panahi, Mohamad Ali Elyasmehr
Rating: 4/5
more from Janine di Giovanni
Three ways to boost your credit score
Marwan Lutfi says the core fundamentals that drive better payment behaviour and can improve your credit score are:
1. Make sure you make your payments on time;
2. Limit the number of products you borrow on: the more loans and credit cards you have, the more it will affect your credit score;
3. Don't max out all your debts: how much you maximise those credit facilities will have an impact. If you have five credit cards and utilise 90 per cent of that credit, it will negatively affect your score.
WITHIN%20SAND
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More on animal trafficking
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The years Ramadan fell in May
Analysis
Maros Sefcovic is juggling multiple international trade agreement files, but his message was clear when he spoke to The National on Wednesday.
The EU-UAE bilateral trade deal will be finalised soon, he said. It is in everyone’s interests to do so. Both sides want to move quickly and are in alignment. He said the UAE is a very important partner for the EU. It’s full speed ahead - and with some lofty ambitions - on the road to a free trade agreement.
We also talked about US-EU tariffs. He answered that both sides need to talk more and more often, but he is prepared to defend Europe's position and said diplomacy should be a guiding principle through the current moment.
APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits
Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Storage: 128/256/512GB
Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4
Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps
Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID
Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight
In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
Price: From Dh2,099
