A persistent knee injury forced him into early retirement in 1961, cutting short a promising career.

Under his leadership, Egypt’s national football team, he qualified for the World Cup in 1990, after the country's 56-year absence from the tournament.

[3] Under the leadership of El-Gohary, the Jordanian national team qualified for their first (AFC) Asian Football Confederation in China 2004.

Jordan reached the quarterfinals of the tournament but failed to qualify for the semifinals after losing to Japan in a penalty shoot-out, resulting in a score of 1–1.

In the West Asian Football Federation Championship Tournaments of 2004 and 2007, El-Gohary helped Jordan win third place.