Soccer Trophies' Disappearance Shocks Nation

Egpyt, a powerhouse in African tournament, launches searches
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Sep 7, 2020 12:06 PM CDT
Soccer Trophies' Disappearance Shocks Nation
Egyptian national team soccer players pose for a picture with top officials and the African Cup of Nations soccer tournament trophy in 2010.   (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)

Egyptian soccer authorities are investigating the disappearance of several trophies, including the Africa Cup of Nations trophy the Pharaohs were awarded in 2010 after winning the tournament three times in a row. The revelation of the trophies' disappearance last week by a former board member of Egypt's soccer association, Ahmed Shobir, sparked outrage in the soccer-mad nation, the AP reports. Magdi Abdel-Ghani, another former board member, initially claimed the trophy was with a former soccer captain or former coach, but later suggested it was lost in an attack on the federation's headquarters by hard-core fans in 2013. The Pharaohs are the most successful team in the African tournament, with seven titles since its creation in the 1950s.

The Egyptian Football Association said it was "shocked" to find that the trophies were missing during the process of setting up a small museum at the entrance of its Cairo headquarters. The Youth and Sports Ministry has also launched an investigation.The federation said the trophies may have gone missing during the 2013 attack. Hard-core fans known as "ultras" torched the federation's headquarters that year as they protested court verdicts related to a soccer riot in 2012 in which more than 70 fans were killed. The Confederation of African Football also said it was shocked by the loss of the trophies and offered its support in "the search for the priceless memorabilia." (Charles Barkley wanted to get rid of his trophies for a good cause.)

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