Trailblazing keeper Mansour dies

Mansour was Africa's first World Cup goalkeeper

By Amr Shaheen BBC Sport Online in Cairo

Legendary Egypt goalkeeper, Mostafa Kamel Mansour, has died at the age of 89.

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Mansour had been the only surviving member of the Egyptian golden team that participated in the second World Cup in Italy 1934, the first African side ever to appear at the finals.

Mansour was one of the leading figures in Egyptian football.

He started his club career in the most popular Egyptian club, Ahly, and later became one of the pioneers who moved to Europe and played for Scottish side Queens Park in the 1930s.

The hero of 1934

He chose the side because they had retained their amateur status and Mansour did not want to turn professional, turning down an offer of £4,000 to do so.

After his retirement, he moved to refereeing and became an international referee, then headed the refereeing committee in the Egyptian Federation.

He retained his passion for the game right up until his death, and although he was often critical of the modern Egyptian side, he said African football as a whole had advanced massively and believed the World Cup would soon be won by an African team.