Mohamed Salah has been left out of Egypt’s Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against South Sudan, with the playing surface at the venue cited as the reason. The forward has not travelled with the squad to Juba, the capital, for Tuesday’s game, which will be staged on artificial turf.
The Egyptian Football Association confirmed the decision, stating that the national team’s technical staff, led by coach Hossam Hassan, had decided to rest Salah for the fixture scheduled for 29 September because of the playing surface. The association added that the plan had been agreed between the technical staff and the player before the Angola match, with the staff preferring that approach in order to protect him.
Salah had started Friday’s goalless draw with Angola in Cairo but was substituted by Hassan after an hour. That fixture was Egypt’s first since their run to the last 16 of the World Cup in the summer.
The caution around the surface reflects a wider perception that artificial pitches carry an increased risk of injury, despite technological improvements in their manufacture. Studies have shown there is no evidence of a greater risk of injury on such surfaces.
Salah left Liverpool at the end of last season after nine years at the club, a spell in which he made 442 appearances and scored 257 goals while winning nine major trophies. He is now with the Turkish club Trabzonspor, for whom he has scored seven goals and provided two assists in six Turkish Super Lig games this season.