Mohamed Salah has been included in Egypt’s final Fifa World Cup squad despite his participation in their opening match still uncertain.
The Liverpool forward, his national team’s standout player, was always expected to feature in Hector Cuper’s 23-man group, as he continues his rehabilitation from a shoulder injury sustained in the Uefa Champions League final on May 26.
Salah will not meet up with the rest of the squad until Saturday, when Egypt return to Cairo from Brussels. They take on Belgium in a friendly on Wednesday, then leave for Russia at the weekend to begin preparations for their Group A encounter against Uruguay on June 15.
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Read more on World Cup 2018:
'It was a very close decision': Leroy Sane left out of the Germany World Cup squad
Group A guide: Russia under pressure to reach last 16, will Salah be fit for Egypt?
Predictions: Who are the winners, losers, top-scorers and players to watch in 2018
Absentee XI: Icardi, Morata, Nainggolan and others cut from World Cup squads
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Salah, who hit 44 goals in his debut season for Liverpool, is viewed as integral to Egypt’s hopes of progressing to the knockout stages. Last October, he scored an injury-time penalty against Congo in the team’s penultimate qualifier to seal the country’s place in a first World Cup since 1990.
After Uruguay, Egypt meet hosts Russia on June 19 before rounding off their group campaign against Saudi Arabia six days later. Salah seems likely to struggle to make the clash with the South Americas in Yekaterinburg, but the hope is that he will be able to play some part against Russia in Saint Petersburg.
Cuper’s final squad, trimmed from 29 players, contained no real shocks on Monday, although Braga forward Ahmed Hassan was the one surprise exclusion. Ismaily goalkeeper Mohamed Awaad, versatile Orlando City full-back Amro Tarek, Lens left-back Karim Hafez, Zamalek midfielder Mahmoud Abdel Aziz and Al Masry forward Ahmed Gomaa were also left out. As such, the squad contains only one specialist striker in Al Ahly frontman Marwan Mohsen.
Meanwhile, Arsenal midfielder Mohamed Elneny made the final cut even though he too has missed recent warm-up matches through injury. Last Friday, Egypt drew 0-0 in Italy with fellow World Cup entrants Colombia.
Squad
Goalkeepers: Essam El Hadary (Al Taawoun/KSA), Mohamed El Shenawy (Al Ahly), Sherif Ekramy (Al Ahly)
Defenders: Ahmed Fathi (Al Ahly), Saad Samir (Al Ahly), Ayman Ashraf (Al Ahly), Ahmed Hegazi (West Bromwich Albion/ENG), Ali Gabr (West Bromwich Albion/ENG), Ahmed Elmohamady (Aston Villa/ENG), Mohamed Abdel-Shafi (Al Fateh/KSA), Omar Gaber (Los Angeles/USA), Mahmoud Hamdy (Zamalek)
Midfielders: Mohamed Elneny (Arsenal/ENG), Tarek Hamed (Zamalek), Sam Morsy (Wigan/ENG), Mahmoud Abdel Razek (Al Raed/KSA), Abdallah El Said (Al Ahly), Mahmoud Hassan (Kasimpasa/TUR), Ramadan Sobhi (Stoke City/ENG), Amr Warda (Atromitos/GRE), Mahmoud Abdel-Moneim (Al Ittihad/KSA)
Forwards: Mohamed Salah (Liverpool/ENG), Marwan Mohsen (Al Ahly)
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
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The specs
Engine 60kwh FWD
Battery Rimac 120kwh Lithium Nickel Manganese Cobalt Oxide (LiNiMnCoO2) chemistry
Power 204hp Torque 360Nm
Price, base / as tested Dh174,500
If you go:
The flights: Etihad, Emirates, British Airways and Virgin all fly from the UAE to London from Dh2,700 return, including taxes
The tours: The Tour for Muggles usually runs several times a day, lasts about two-and-a-half hours and costs £14 (Dh67)
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is on now at the Palace Theatre. Tickets need booking significantly in advance
Entrance to the Harry Potter exhibition at the House of MinaLima is free
The hotel: The grand, 1909-built Strand Palace Hotel is in a handy location near the Theatre District and several of the key Harry Potter filming and inspiration sites. The family rooms are spacious, with sofa beds that can accommodate children, and wooden shutters that keep out the light at night. Rooms cost from £170 (Dh808).
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
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Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
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On sale: Now
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
How much sugar is in chocolate Easter eggs?
- The 169g Crunchie egg has 15.9g of sugar per 25g serving, working out at around 107g of sugar per egg
- The 190g Maltesers Teasers egg contains 58g of sugar per 100g for the egg and 19.6g of sugar in each of the two Teasers bars that come with it
- The 188g Smarties egg has 113g of sugar per egg and 22.8g in the tube of Smarties it contains
- The Milky Bar white chocolate Egg Hunt Pack contains eight eggs at 7.7g of sugar per egg
- The Cadbury Creme Egg contains 26g of sugar per 40g egg
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
