Ramzi relishing home support in World Cup

Egypt assistant coach Hani Ramzi is calling for home support ahead of the U-20 World Cup, but hopes that pressure don’t get to the players during the big event.<br>

كتب : Omar AbdelAziz

الجمعة، 18 سبتمبر 2009 - 17:52
Egypt assistant coach Hani Ramzi is calling for home support ahead of the U-20 World Cup, but hopes that pressure don’t get to the players during the big event.

The Egypt U-20 team will take on Trinidad & Tobago on Thursday in the opening game of the tournament on home soil.

Ramzi hopes to see some support from the stands, following a host of friendly games that witnessed little attendance from the crowd.

"Our players are looking forward to the crowd's support and we hope to see this massive ground full to the rafters," the former Egypt defender told FIFA.com.

"But at the same time we worry that the pressure of the occasion might affect the players or cause them to lose focus.

"We've played a record number of friendly matches, but the largest crowd has been about 300 people.

"Certainly the situation will be very different in this tournament and it's an experience our players have not encountered during their careers, but we've done our best to prepare them psychologically and make them ready for this.

"I believe that the spotlight on them in the first game will help them come through a difficult start.

"The home support and the knowing the grounds are important weapons that we must get the maximum benefit from, just as the crowd was the driving force behind the senior team's victory in the 2006 African Nations Cup."

Egypt last hosted a FIFA World Cup tournament in 1997 when they were eliminated from the quarters by Spain in the U-17 showdown.