Egypt kick striker out of Cup of Nations squad for disciplinary reasons

Egypt have removed striker Amr Warda from their Africa Cup of Nations squad for disciplinary reasons, the Egyptian Football Federation (EFA) president Hany Abo Rida announced on Wednesday.

He said Warda’s exclusion, made after consulting with the team’s technical and administrative staff, was “in keeping with the team’s discipline, commitment and focus” without going into further detail.

Warda, who plays for Greek club Atromitos on loan from PAOK, had previously been accused of harassing a fashion model on Instagram and a complaint against him had been filed at Egypt’s Attorney General.

The decision to exclude the 25-year-old forward, who played for Egypt at the World Cup in Russia last year, came hours before they were to meet the Democratic Republic of Congo in Cairo in their second Africa Cup of Nations fixture.

He had come on as a substitute in last Friday’s opening game, a 1-0 win over Zimbabwe.

The Egyptian team will play the rest of the tournament with only 22 players.