It is normal and expected for President Mubarak to delay his visit to the United Arab Emirates for 24 hours to receive the Egyptian soccer squad who won the African Nations Cup in Ghana. The achievement that was done under the leadership of the national hero Hassan Shehata was not an ordinary achievement but it was an unachievable one by all the measures. President Mubarak as an Egyptian citizen watched the team and he was calling them every day to encourage them and support the players and the technical staff in order to win the cup.

It is really a superb victory because we were able to win great African teams like the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon and Cote d'Ivoire.

We all hail Hassan Shehata, Egypt's Head Coach for all his efforts in achieving this great triumph in addition to the heroes of the Egyptian National Team: el-Hadari, Abou Trika, Zidan, Amr Zaki, Hosni Abd Rabou, Ahmed Hassan, Mohamed Shawki, Emad Meteab, Sayed Meowad, Ahmed Fathi, Hani Said, Shadi Mohamed, Wael Gomaa, Ibrahin Said, Ahmed el-Mohamadi, Mahmoud Fathallah, Mohamed Abd el-Monsef, Mohamed Sobhi, Mohamed Fadl, Omar Gamal, Tareq el-Said, Hassan Moustafa and Ahmed Shaaban and the Staff of the Egyptian team including: Shawki Ghareeb, Hamada Sedqi, Ahmed Soliman, Adli, Ahmed maged, Hossam el-Ibrashi, Kamal Abd el-Wahed, Hasanein hamza and Abd Allah Said. We also must hail head of the Egyptian Football Federation Samir Zaher, the treasurer Ahmed Shaker and the head of the mission in Ghana Hazem el-Hawari.

They are all real heroes because they brought happiness to all the Egyptians, unified them under the Egyptian flag and adopted a national project which the government failed to achieve !!

Radwan el-Zayati
Al Gomhouria
12/2/2008