The Egyptian Football Association (EFA) says it wants to talk to its Ghanaian counterparts before deciding whether to file an official complaint over bribery allegations made against the north African country.
EFA president Gamal Allam says it will first contact the Ghana FA over the allegations levelled against the country because of the "good relationship that ties both associations."
This comes after a member of the Ghanaian federation Kofi Manu claimed that GFA President Kwesi Nyantakyi refused $1m in bribes to help Pharaohs qualify to the 2014 FIFA World Cup ahead of the Black Stars.
The EFA announced that it would file an official complaint with the Confederation of African Football (CAF) over the allegations but insists they want to speak with the GFA before deciding whether to go ahead with the protest.
“We will contact the Ghanaian association to get official clarification before submitting the complaint in order to protect the good relations between the two associations,” Allam said over their intention to report Manu to CAF.
The EFA president said that he is surprised by these "false allegations", asserting that Egypt have always abided by the rules of fair play, and that he "will not give up on the association right after such accusations."
Egypt came inches close to reaching the 2014 World Cup finals, for the first time since 1990 and the third time ever, after topping their group during the qualifiers.
They had one final hurdle: to win against Ghana during the playoff game. Their hopes were dashed following a thrashing 6-1 away defeat at Accra, putting them in front of a mountain to climb before the return leg.
In Cairo Military stadium on 19 November 2013, the seven-time African champions claimed a 2-1 win, a result that allowed the Black Stars to reach the finals on a 7-3 aggregate win.