Media reports have recently revealed the establishment of a special camp for FC Barcelona's academy in Egypt in the coming period, following the success achieved by the young Egyptian national team star, Hamza Abdel Karim, with the Blaugrana.
Barcelona signed Hamza Abdel Karim from Al Ahly last January on loan, before the transfer became permanent a few months later following the player's standout performances with the under-19 team.
Hamza Abdel Karim is currently with Barcelona's first team during the pre-season preparations for the new campaign under head coach Hans Flick.
However, Barcelona appears unwilling to stop at signing Hamza Abdel Karim alone. According to the newspaper Sport, Barcelona announced on its official website that it will hold two training camps for the club's academy in Egypt during October and November.
This move comes amid the strong relationship between Barcelona and Egypt. In addition to signing Hamza Abdel Karim, the Catalan club will play a friendly match against Al Ahly on August 19 as part of the Joan Gamper Trophy.
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Sport added that this step aims to affirm the strong ties between Barcelona and Egypt and the Blaugrana's ongoing presence on Egyptian soil, which has continued for years, as the Barça academy was previously active in Egypt between 2007 and 2022.
The paper noted that after four years since the academy's last presence in Egypt, La Masia will return once again to the homeland of Hamza Abdel Karim, pointing out that the presence of Barcelona's academy in Egypt is considered a strategically important factor for the Spanish club.
It added that Cairo, the capital of Egypt, is considered the first international site in the history of Barcelona's academy, while Barça confirmed that the Spanish club enjoys great popularity, as the Egyptian people play football with great passion.
The Barcelona academy camp in Egypt will represent a major opportunity, as the best Egyptian talents will be selected to play for La Masia.
Sport continued, stating that this agreement was signed in Barcelona's offices in the presence of Benny Megrelishvili, director of Barcelona's academy, and Sergi Barjuan, the academy's sporting director, alongside Mr. Hassan Amara, Egypt's representative, who will personally oversee the development of these two camps.
Barcelona confirmed that these two camps mark the beginning of restoring its presence in a strategic location like Egypt, noting that the Barça academy is one of the club's most important projects in its efforts to expand its activities and discover talents outside Catalonia.
The paper added that beyond the sporting aspect, Barcelona aims to instill the values that distinguish the club worldwide, namely humility, hard work, ambition, teamwork, and respect.
Sport praised the importance of Hamza Abdel Karim's transfer to Barcelona, which strengthened the relationship between the Catalan club and Egypt, a bond that will grow even stronger with the meeting between Barça and Al Ahly in the Joan Gamper Cup.
