Qualifying for the 2018 World Cup is a more important goal than performing strongly in the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations, according to Egypt coach Hector Cuper.
Cuper will lead the Pharaohs at Gabon 2017, where they will be returning to the AFCON for the first time since 2010.
Egypt have an unrivalled record at the Nations Cup, having won it a record seven times (1957, 1959, 1986, 1998, 2006, 2008 & 2010), but a push for trophy number eight is not as important as reaching Russia 2018, according to their Argentine coach.
“We are back in our habitat. Egypt have won the Africa Cup of Nations seven times and qualifying for the tournament is the least we could do. Our big goal is the 2018 World Cup since we haven’t qualified to it since 1990, too much for a nation that loves football and have a lot of talent,” Cuper told La Gazzetta dello Sport.
“I arrived in Egypt after a series of disappointments in Spain, Turkey and UAE. I wanted a new tough challenge, Egypt was in similar conditions having not qualified to AFCON or World Cups. It was like a wedding of mutual interest.”
Cuper added: “It is obvious at the beginning when you arrive to a new continent you have to go through a process of integration in and off the field that is not easy. But I am here now [in Egypt] for almost two years and I am very well.”
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