Egypt Rest Mohamed Salah For South Sudan AFCON Qualifier Over Artificial Pitch

Egypt have left Mohamed Salah out of their Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier against South Sudan on Tuesday, September 29, because the match will be played on an artificial pitch.

The Trabzonspor forward did not travel with the Pharaohs to Juba after the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) confirmed that the decision had been taken before Friday’s 0-0 draw with Angola in Cairo.

“The Egypt national team’s technical staff, led by Hossam Hassan, has decided to rest Mohamed Salah for the match against South Sudan scheduled for 29 September because of the playing surface,” the EFA said.

“It was agreed between the national team’s technical staff and Mohamed Salah before the Angola match that he would not play against South Sudan, and the technical staff preferred this approach to protect the player.”

Salah started against Angola before coach Hossam Hassan replaced him after 61 minutes. Reports in Egyptian media suggested the 34-year-old was unhappy with the substitution, but the EFA’s statement clarified that his absence from the South Sudan match was unrelated to the decision.

The qualifier will take place at the Juba Stadium, which has an artificial playing surface. While concerns have been raised about injury risks on artificial pitches, studies have not established a greater overall injury risk compared with natural surfaces.

Salah has made a strong start to his career at Trabzonspor since leaving Liverpool after nine years at the Premier League club. He made 442 appearances, scored 257 goals and won nine major trophies during his time at Anfield.

The Egypt captain has scored seven goals and provided two assists in six Turkish Super Lig appearances for Trabzonspor this season.

Egypt opened their qualifying campaign with a goalless draw against Angola, while South Sudan lost 2-1 to Malawi in their first Group B fixture. The top two teams in each group will qualify for the 2027 AFCON, which will be hosted by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.