Egyptian Football Association president Hani Abu Rida has travelled to Türkiye for an official visit that is expected to include a meeting with national team captain Mohamed Salah during Trabzonspor’s match against Gaziantep on Sunday.
Abu Rida, who is also a member of the FIFA Council, began the visit as part of efforts to strengthen sporting relations between Egypt and Türkiye. He was received on Saturday by Ibrahim Haji Osmanoglu, president of the Turkish Football Federation, with both officials discussing ways to expand cooperation between their organisations.
According to a statement from the Egyptian Football Association, the discussions covered several areas of football development, including technical and administrative cooperation, preparations for national teams, refereeing and the identification of young talent.
The two federations also considered ways to improve the institutional structure of football and make better use of the experience and resources available in both countries.
One of the main outcomes of the meeting was an agreement to prepare a joint cooperation protocol. The proposed arrangement will include exchanges of training camps involving youth, junior and women’s national teams, alongside joint initiatives aimed at improving refereeing.
Both parties stressed the importance of maintaining regular communication and coordination, saying closer ties between the federations would help advance football in Egypt and Türkiye.
Abu Rida’s visit is also expected to provide an opportunity for him to meet Salah, who plays for Trabzonspor. The Egyptian forward’s club are due to face Gaziantep on Sunday, with the EFA president scheduled to attend the fixture.
The anticipated meeting would bring together the head of Egyptian football and the national team’s captain ahead of Salah’s return to international duty.
The visit comes shortly before the Liverpool forward’s former national team commitments resume, with Egypt preparing for two Africa Cup of Nations qualifying matches against Malawi.
Egypt prepare for Malawi double-header
Egypt’s national team director, Ibrahim Hassan, has confirmed that the team’s next training camp will begin on 9 November at the National Teams Centre.
The squad list is expected to be announced on 8 November, one day before the start of preparations for the two matches against Malawi.
Egypt will host the first meeting on 13 November before travelling to face Malawi again on 17 November at the Bingu International Stadium.
The fixtures form part of the third and fourth rounds of qualifying for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations.
Egypt began its campaign with a goalless draw against Angola in Cairo but responded in the second round with a convincing 5-0 victory over South Sudan away from home.
The two matches against Malawi will give Egypt an opportunity to build on that result as the qualifying campaign continues.
