Bob Bradley will live to fight another day.
Despite seeing his Egyptian side fall 6-1 in Ghana, FOX Soccer has learned that Bradley will see out the second leg in Cairo on Nov 19.
Sources close to Bradley told FOX Soccer Tuesday night that there had been no official effort to remove him from his post despite a wave of reports in Egypt that suggested the American manager’s tenure ended in Kumasi.
Earlier on Wednesday, the Egyptian FA chairman admitted that it would be too costly to sack Bradley. Gamal Allam told the BBC that removing Bradley before the final game would cost the federation some $366,000. "It is not logical to sack him and pay a big fine for the last match of his contract,” Allam said.
That’s not exactly a ringing endorsement, but with Bradley himself admitting that Egypt’s chances of reversing the first leg’s defeat are “nearly impossible,” it’s perhaps the best he could have hoped for.
The Pharaohs last reached the World Cup finals in 1990. Egyptians have been desperately looking for something to cheer about after 2 1/2 years of turmoil, including a 2012 soccer riot that killed 74 people. Tuesday's lopsided score was all the more painful because it came on the first day of a major Muslim holiday, the Eid al-Adha, or the feast of sacrifice.
''Ghana slaughters the Pharaohs on Eid al-Adha,'' said newspaper Al-Ahram al-Massai, alluding to the Islamic tradition of sacrificing a sheep, goat or cow to mark the holiday.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
