Egypt are the most successful country in the history of the Africa Cup of Nations competition.
The Pharos have won the trophy on seven occasions since 1957, and they subsequently would go on to break the record for consecutive successes after lifting the prestigious trophy 2006, 2008, and 2010.
Egypt then got to keep the AFCON trophy permanently at the CAF headquarters in Cairo, after their consecutive success at the competition from 2006 to 2010.
However, the African Cup of Nation’s trophy has been reported missing with reports surfacing that the cup was destroyed in a fire at the association’s HQ in Cairo, Egypt, in 2013.
Egypt’s former Football Association vice-president Ahmed Shobeir revealed on Friday that the trophy was discovered missing while preparations were ongoing to build a museum for all the titles won by the country.
ex-Fifa Board Member and Egypt icon Abdelghani later confirmed that the cup was one of several items of silverware that had been lost in a fire seven years ago.
Speaking on the ‘On Time Sports’ TV show, he said: “Officials of the committee which meets every five years and currently manages the Football Association were surprised that the trophy was not available, in light of their desire to create a museum at the federation headquarters, which would feature the trophy and the national team’s kits,”
“However, [they] were surprised to find that the Afcon trophy was lost, and decided to open an investigation,” per BBC Sports.
It is reported that former Egypt captain Ahmed Hassan, who guided the team to success at the 2006, 2008, and 2010 AFCON tournament was in possession of the trophy, however, he denied the claim.
“The committee searched for the trophy, but then an employee told them that Ahmed Hassan, the former captain of the Egyptian national team, who won the cup three times in a row, has kept it,” Shobeir added.
Abdelghani later revealed in a press conference that the trophy had been, in fact, lost seven years ago in a fire.
“After the burning of the Football Association headquarters, some cups were lost, and the matter was investigated,” the former FA member began, “including the Africa Cup of Nations that we retained.
“Some said that the cup had been with Shawky Gharib, the former general coach of the Egypt national team, and some say it had been with Hassan, the former captain of the Pharaohs.”
After learning of the AFCON trophy’s disappearance, former Egypt captain Hassan took to social media to speak on the situation.
“I wish I had kept the cup in my house instead of it being lost,” his twitter post translates.
“And I am surprised that I’m being questioned about the cup after nine years, despite the presence of two FA boards, and the five-year committee for a year and two months…but they’re only now looking for the cup!”
“One of the members of the five-year committee contacted me and told me that they would put a picture of me with the African Nations Cup on the wall inside the federation,” Hassan continued, “and he asked me about the cup.
“I told him that I had delivered it back in 2011, and he said to me: ‘I wish you had not handed it over, as the cup is not at the association now.'”
