• Egypt national team head coach Hossam El-Badry has named Al Ahly’s right-back Ahmed Fathi  as the Pharaohs’ new captain.

Newly-appointed head coach Hossam El-Badry has already named his 23-man squad for their friendly against Botswana in the international break next week.

In the squad released, it came as a surprise that Ahmed Fathi returned to the team as he hasn’t featured for Egypt for more than a year.

Fathi’s last appearance for the national team was in the 2018 World Cup, where Egypt lost 2-1 against Saudi Arabia.

Since his debut in 2002, Fathi has been capped 129 times for the national team, winning three African Cup of Nations (AFCON) titles between 2006 and 2010.

The 34-year-old is the longest-serving national team player among the squad released and El-Badry feels that he is worthy of wearing the captain’s armband.

El-Badry has also named Pyramids midfielder Abdullah El-Said the team’s new vice-captain as he has 45 national team appearances, which is the second-highest number of international caps in the squad.

Egypt are set to host Botswana in a friendly on 14 October in Hossam El-Badry’s first game in charge of the Pharaohs.

Additional reporting by KingFut