By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Former Portugal and Iran boss Carlos Queiroz has been appointed as Egypt national team’s new manager, replacing Hossam El-Badry.
El-Badry was sacked as the Pharaoh’s head coach following the team’s 1-1 draw with Gabon in the World Cup qualifiers.
Despite not losing a single game, the former Al Ahly boss has been heavily criticized for the team’s underwhelming performances and squad selections.
Therefore, the EFA has decided to dismiss him from his role and instead appoint Portuguese head coach Carlos Queiroz just 48 hours later.
The 68-year-old has been a free agent since leaving Colombia last December due to a poor start in the World Cup qualifiers. Overall, he led The Tricolors in 18 games, winning nine while drawing four and losing the remaining five games.
His last game in charge saw Colombia suffer a humiliating 6-1 defeat to Ecuador and Queiroz also failed to make it past the quarter-finals of the 2019 Copa America after a penalty shootout defeat to Chile.
The Portuguese endured a much better time in Iran, becoming the longest-serving manager in the history of the Iran national team, taking charge of the team for almost eight years between 2011 and 2019.
Moreover, Queiroz is the only manager in Iran’s history to lead the national team to two consecutive World Cups; however, the team was knocked out from the group-stages on both occasions and never managed to win any trophy under him.
During his 97 games in charge, he guided Iran to 60 wins, 24 draws, and 13 defeats, with the team scoring 189 goals while conceding 65.
Ahead of his time in Asia, Queiroz had two stints as Portugal’s national team head coach between 1991-1993 and 2008-2010, as well as short spells with UAE, Saudi Arabia, and South Africa between 1999 and 2002.
On the club level, Queiroz led Portuguese giants Sporting CP, Japan’s Nagoya Grampus, and Spanish giants Real Madrid in 2003 as well as serving as an assistant manager to Alex Ferguson in Manchester United in almost 300 games.
Despite his long managerial career, Queiroz has only lifted three trophies as a manager, namely the 2004 Spanish Super Cup, the 1995 Portuguese Cup with Sporting, and the Portuguese Super Cup the following year.
Queiroz now becomes the first-ever Portuguese to coach the Egyptian national team, where he will be assisted by Diaa El-Sayed (assistant manager), Mohamed Shawky (coach), and Essam El-Hadary (Egypt goalkeeping coach).
His first game in charge will be a crucial one as Egypt will face Libya in a double-encounter next October that might determine the Pharaohs’ fate in the 2022 World Cup.