Mostafa Lotfy, a former 11-a-side footballer who guided Egypt to victories at the Arab Beach Soccer Cup and the Casablanca Beach Soccer Cup, culminating in their first-ever qualification for the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup™ is now making waves.
In a conversation with FIFA, Lotfy discusses Egypt’s group-stage opponents at UAE 2024, and their tournament goals, and sheds light on key Egyptian talents to watch out for in Dubai. His endorsement underscores Egypt’s strong potential in the tournament, focusing on standout individuals whose performances could be pivotal in securing success for the team. Lotfy’s insights highlight the nation’s preparedness and the capabilities of these highlighted athletes, amplifying anticipation and intrigue for their participation in the upcoming global event
Q: How did you get started as a beach soccer coach? Did working in the sport give you an extra appreciation for it?
A: It all started for me when I was appointed as the general manager of the Egypt national team in 2015, where I worked alongside the former technical director, Ahmed Abdelrazek, for four years. I learned a lot about beach soccer from him and really benefited from his experience. I also took time to read about the game to learn more and develop my understanding. I instantly took a liking to the sport because it’s so entertaining, whether on or off the pitch, and the matches are so exciting and passionately contested. Then, not wanting to leave anything to chance, I took the steps to develop as a coach, focusing on filling in any gaps in my skillset by watching matches and participating in tournaments.
Q: You were named among the 40 best coaches in the world by Beach Soccer Worldwide in 2021, and among the 20 best last year. Are you satisfied with what you’ve achieved so far, or do you have greater ambitions still?
A: Of course, making those lists is great for me, the national team and Egypt, and it’s great motivation to keep developing, work even harder, make it to the top three and then be considered the very best.
Obviously, everyone has ambitions and dreams they want to achieve, and one of my dreams is to be the best coach in the world. Why not? As long as you have the ability and self-confidence, alongside a solid plan, you can achieve what you want. My ambition is to not only make the shortlist but to become the best in the world, and that will only happen if I put in the effort, which I plan to do.
Q: You didn’t play beach soccer, but you did play futsal, scoring Egypt’s first ever FIFA Futsal World Cup goal in 1996, and the 11-a-side game. Do you think that experience has helped you in beach soccer?
A: Actually, when I was playing 11-a-side, I participated in a beach soccer tournament with my governorate’s team in Sharm El Sheikh. We won that competition and I really enjoyed it. After that, I made the move to futsal, which isn’t so different from beach soccer. Of course, the pitch and the tactics are different, but they’re similar in terms of the skill, speed, strength and endurance required. My experience playing futsal and football has definitely helped me a lot as a coach, especially during my time in the Egyptian Premier League with Aluminium. It’s helped me deal with players’ psychology and motivation, at the very least.
Q: The Egypt Beach Soccer team has developed a lot under your leadership, winning the Arab Beach Soccer Cup, and the Casablanca Beach Soccer Cup, finishing second at the Africa Cup of Nations, and qualifying for the World Cup for the very first time. How have you made so much progress in the last two years?
A: When I was appointed in April 2022, we were getting the national team restarted after roughly a year-long hiatus. We held a camp in Alexandria and played three friendlies against the United Arab Emirates, where we were able to get the win. After that, we played Ghana home and away in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers before travelling to Morocco and winning the Casablanca Beach Soccer Cup. Then, we travelled to South Africa to compete in the COSAFA Beach Soccer Championship, where we reached the final for the very first time. At the Africa Cup of Nations, we beat Morocco 5-4 in the semi-final and were beating Senegal 2-1 in the final, only to concede a late equaliser and eventually lose on penalties. Participating in so many tournaments has had a positive impact on the team, helping us move up the rankings and giving the players and coaches plenty of experience.
The Egyptian Football Association also has to take some credit for our good results because they’ve given us what we need, enabled us to compete in these tournaments and supported us all the way. Our good form is also thanks to the great players we have, who make so many sacrifices to play the game, and the coaching, administrative and medical staff. I’m just the last name in a long list of people who’ve played their part in our achievements.
Q: At the end of 2022, you promised Egypt would achieve something special at the World Cup in 2024. Are you satisfied with your preparations over the last year, and are you still as ambitious for the upcoming tournament?
A: I am. Our preparations have been going well, and the players are motivated to achieve our goals because it’s our very first World Cup. We’re going to do our very best to achieve even more, which would be great for me, the players and our country. That means we want to go as far as we can in the tournament, which is exactly what we’re planning to do. We’ve been working to instil that ambition and motivation in the squad, and I still stand by what I said in 2022. It will take a lot of hard work to achieve our goal, but I think that’s good for the team and the coaches. We’re not just going to be there to make up the numbers. We’re going there to secure a medal.
Q: What do you make of your group-stage opponents, Italy, USA and the United Arab Emirates? Do you think you can make it out of the group, and who else do you think will qualify for the knockout phase?
A: I think our World Cup group is strong and evenly matched, and the matches are going to be very exciting for everyone involved. We’ve been preparing well because all four teams in the group have the chance to qualify for the knockout rounds. I don’t think anyone will be safely through before the final whistle goes in the last round of group-stage matches. All three of our opponents are ranked highly, but we’ve previously achieved good results against each of them. We’re well aware of the areas we need to focus on to progress through the knockout rounds and achieve our goal at the tournament. We’re going to do our very best to perform at a level befitting the Egyptian national team.
Q: With the World Cup taking place in Dubai, do you expect a strong show of support from the Egypt fans?
A: Yes, I’m expecting the fans to be there supporting us in Dubai. The tournament being hosted in an Arab country will give us extra motivation, and I’m sure there will be plenty of fans, Egyptians and others, filling the stands at our matches, as there always is when Egypt play. We always get a lot of support from the fans, so hopefully we can live up to their expectations and ensure as many as possible can attend the matches.
Q: Which players do you expect to shine for Egypt at the World Cup? Are there any young talents we should be keeping an eye out for?
A: When I first started coaching the side, the average age of the squad was quite high, so I focused on refreshing it by bringing through young players. Now the team has a lot of great players with international experience. We don’t rely on a star player or a lethal goalscorer, preferring to work as a team. The Arab Beach Soccer Cup was a great example of that because, apart from our goalkeeper, everyone on the squad scored. Although we always prefer teamwork to individual moments, some of our standout players would be Ibrahim Hassan and Mohamed Elsayed, our goalkeepers; Abdelrahman Hassan, one of the most skilled beach soccer players in the world; Hassan Mohamed, who was recently named one of the world’s best players; Moustafa Samir, who’s got a lot of experience; and Haitham Atef. Ultimately, I just hope we can succeed at the World Cup.
Source: FIFA
