CAIRO: Emad Meteb will not be included in Egypt’s squad until further notice as a result of his current dispute with Belgian side Standard Liege, according to a source in the Pharaohs’ technical staff.
The striker has abruptly returned to Cairo after completing a move to Standard Liege following the expiry of his contract with Egyptian champions Ahly.
He is widely believed to be seeking to annul his deal with the 10-time Belgian champions for an unknown reason.
"The technical staff is angry with what Meteb did. He got himself into trouble," the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told FilGoal.com on Wednesday.
"Even if he recovers from the back injury he is nursing, we will not be able to select him in Egypt’s squad because his problem is likely to last for a long period.
"It is only natural that we leave him out of Egypt’s squad these days."
Meteb is now set to miss Egypt’s next friendly game against DR Congo on August 11.
The 27-year-old repeatedly expressed his desire to play European football in the latter stages of last season and the chance arose when Standard approached him in the summer.
He was unveiled as a new signing for Standard during a news conference but Egyptian reports kept suggesting that he was considering a shocking return to Ahly.
The club branded him ‘a thief’ following his sudden return to Cairo earlier this week.
FilGoal.com learned that Meteb, who is yet to comment on the matter, intends to use his unclear military status as an excuse to terminate his deal with Standard.
"The actions Meteb did could affect his future and this is something that annoys us," the source added.
Meteb is one of Egypt’s key players, having helped them win three successive African Cup of Nations titles in 2006, 2008 and 2010.
He scored 31 goals in 63 international appearances.
