The Pharaohs were one step away from qualifying for the football's most prestigious event for the first time since 1990 but slumped to a 1-0 defeat to Algeria last month in a controversial playoff in Sudan.

Disappointment swept over the country but people still stood by the team and appreciated the players' efforts to end the country's World Cup jinx.

President Mubarak then phoned Shehata to congratulate him for Egypt's displays before honoring all the players and technical staff members at the presidential palace.

"I decided to leave my post following the defeat against Algeria," Shehata said in an interview with Modern Sport.

"But the president's words forced me to reconsider my stance. I couldn't depart after seeing the support he showed."

The highly-respected tactician, who guided Egypt to back-to-back Nations Cup titles in 2006 and 2008, has recently penned a two-year contract extension that will keep him at the helm until 2012.