Just when we thought we were safe talking about this one, the South Africa - Egypt match at Brentford tonight once again strays into doubt. The President of the Egyptian Football Association has complained to the BBC that none of the conditions in the contract with organisers Star Meridian for playing the match have been met. He wants to know what's happened to $70,000 dollars he feels they were promised and claims that "we were also due to be put up in a four- or five-star hotel."
According to Eurosport, the organisers themselves see a different problem.
We had originally agreed to wire all the money to one, official bank account. But now they are asking for the money to be transferred to two, individual accounts and they say they will not play unless this is fulfilled before the match is played.
Eschewing the traditional high noon appointment for dealing with such disputes the Egyptian FA president says that both parties are scheduled for a 10:30am meeting at a London bank and that the Egyptian team will fly home in the afternoon if agreement cannot be reached.
At least they'll have some souvenirs to take with them. Eurosport recounts that, when yesterday's press conference at Egypt's team hotel was abandoned with South Africa's press officers failing to appear:
Frustrated Egypt players opted to leave the venue to go shopping in nearby Hounslow.
Snow globes of the Treaty Centre would be a talking point on any trendy Cairo mantelpiece.
Picture of a balloon flight over the Nile via western4uk's Flickr stream.
