Egypt With Ambition To Bring Salah To The Tokyo Olympics, They Are Waiting For Klopp's Permission

JAKARTA - Egyptian national team coach Shawky Gharib said Liverpool striker Mohamed Salah is ready to increase his training load to defend his country in winning the medal at the Tokyo Olympics for the first time.

“I've announced to the public that I wanted him (Mohamed Salah) to join the national team for the Tokyo Olympics, and he didn't refuse. This means that he is ready to appear with the Egyptian national team”, said Gharib, quoted by Antara, Friday, March 26.

"Salah's participation in the Tokyo Olympics is fully supported by the state, represented by the Ministry of Sports and the Egyptian Football Association, to win our first medal at the Olympics for the first time", said Gharib.

However, he said the decision regarding Salah's participation in the Tokyo Olympics this year was three-way in nature, and not only came from Salah and Gharib as the Egyptian national team coach, but also from Liverpool coach Jurgen Klopp.

On the other hand, despite Liverpool's decline in form, Salah is still the top scorer in the English Premier League this season, with 17 goals and a total of 25 goals in all competitions.

"Salah, as one of the three best international players, will certainly elevate the Egyptian team to a new level at the Tokyo Olympics", said Gharib.

"Having (Salah) present with us will definitely make a significant difference", added Gharib, who likened Salah to Neymar who helped Brazil win their first football gold medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics.