KUALA LUMPUR – Egypt, the underdogs with the potential to pull off a surprise?
As one of only two African nations to have qualified for the Hockey Junior World Cup, the Pharaohs have pledged to finish higher than their regional rivals South Africa in this year’s edition.
Speaking to Scoop, head coach Mostafa Khalil said that his charges are pumped up to go all out and create history at the tournament.
“Our hopes have no limit, and we have been focusing on our training diligently to ensure that we accomplish our goals.
“All the teams are strong in this tournament; they are all ready to give their 100%. Without any doubt, we will give the teams a good fight, and with the grace of God, we aim to be the best African team in this tournament,” said Mostafa.
Mostafa also commended the quality of the hockey turf at the Bukit Jalil National Hockey Stadium and wishes to see the same quality being used at their turf in Cairo.
“We love to come to Malaysia as this country has the best world-class facilities that we can find for this game. The people here are down to earth and have always been supportive of us.
“We just hope that the bus services can be improved a bit so we can arrive for our training on time without getting stuck in traffic.
“But Malaysian traffic is nowhere as bad as Cairo, and other than that, Malaysia has provided us everything for us to give our everything in this prestigious tournament, and we are going to make full use of it,” Mostafa added.
The men’s Junior World Cup will be played at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil from December 5 to 16. Entrance is free.
Making their 10th appearance in the tournament, Mostafa’s charges will be hoping to do better than their previous outing in Bhubaneswar, India, where they finished 16th.
Egypt are grouped with European powerhouse and the previous edition’s runners-up Germany, France and South Africa in Group B.
The northeast African side will begin their campaign against France tomorrow followed by an intense match against rivals South Africa on December 6.
The Pharaohs’ best result in the World Cup was ninth in 1997 in Milton Keynes, England. – December 4, 2023