Egypt rest Mohamed Salah for South Sudan match on artificial turf
Mohamed Salah will not play for Egypt against South Sudan on Tuesday after the Egyptian Football Association confirmed he is being rested because the match will be staged on an artificial surface.
What we know
- Coach Hossam Hassan and his staff agreed the decision with Salah before Egypt’s previous Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Angola.
- Salah played 60 minutes in Friday’s 0-0 draw with Angola before being left out of the trip as a fitness precaution.
- The federation said the synthetic pitch was the decisive factor, with concern over its possible effect on the forward’s joints and physical condition.
- Nice centre-back Mohamed Abdelmonem has also not travelled. Egypt and his club are managing his recovery carefully because of previous serious knee problems.
- Egypt’s coaching staff are protecting key European-based players while pursuing qualification for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations.
Next step: Egypt face South Sudan without Salah and Abdelmonem
Egypt must use their squad depth against South Sudan, with the artificial pitch creating an added physical challenge for the travelling side.
Hassan will then turn attention to Egypt’s friendly against South Africa on October 4. South Africa reached the World Cup round of 16 before losing to Canada, and the match will give Egypt another opportunity to test options before the next major tournament cycle.
