News emerging from Egypt has it that the trophy the country’s national team won thrice in a row was discovered missing from the country’s football federation headquarters.
According to reports, the discovery was made as preparations were being made to create a museum where all the trophies and awards won by the Egyptian football teams will be kept and displayed.
Ahmed Shobir, a former Egyptian Football Association, Vice President, is quoted as saying: “Officials of the committee which meets every five years and currently manages the Football Association were surprised that the trophy was not available, in light of their desire to create a museum at the federation headquarters, which would feature the trophy and the national team’s kits.
“However, (they) were surprised to find that the Afcon trophy was lost, and decided to open an investigation.
“The committee searched for the trophy, but then an employee told them that Ahmed Hassan, the former captain of the Egyptian national team, who won the cup three times in a row, has kept it,”
The former captain who was fingered in the matter has however denied the claims. According to him, he wished he had kept it in house to avoid what was currently going on.
“I wish I had kept the cup in my house instead of it being lost and I am surprised that I’m being questioned about the cup after nine years, despite the presence of two FA boards, and the five-year committee for a year and two months…but they’re only now looking for the cup.”
Ahmed Hassan claimed top have only held kept the trophy when the team he captained won it in 2010. According to him, he returned the trophy to the EFA (Egyptian Football Association) in 2011.
As thing stand right now, the whereabouts of the trophy is unknown. It is not even clear how long it has been missing.