Mohamed Salah Set To Miss South Sudan Clash As Egypt Raise Artificial Pitch Concerns

Egypt have decided to leave captain Mohamed Salah out of their Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier against South Sudan on Tuesday, September 29, with the match set to be played on an artificial pitch.

According to Bush Radio Academy, the decision was made by Egypt’s technical staff before the Pharaohs’ goalless draw against Angola in Cairo on Friday, with the coaching team opting to rest the forward as a precaution because of the playing surface.

The Egyptian Football Association (EFA) confirmed that Salah would not travel with the squad to Juba, explaining that the decision had been agreed upon between the player and the technical team before the Angola encounter.

“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 stated.

The federation also clarified that Salah’s omission was unrelated to his substitution during the Angola game. The Egypt captain started the match but was replaced by coach Hossam Hassan after 61 minutes, with reports suggesting that the player was unhappy with the decision.

However, the EFA stressed that Salah’s absence from the South Sudan fixture had already been agreed upon before the Angola match.

The qualifier will be played at Juba Stadium, which features an artificial playing surface. While artificial pitches have prompted discussions about potential injury concerns, research has not established that they carry a greater overall injury risk than natural grass.

Salah has enjoyed an impressive start to his time at Trabzonspor following his departure from Liverpool, where he spent nine years and made 442 appearances, scoring 257 goals and winning nine major trophies.

The Egypt captain has also made a strong start to the current Turkish Super Lig campaign, registering seven goals and two assists in six appearances for Trabzonspor.

Egypt began their AFCON qualifying campaign with a 0-0 draw against Angola, while South Sudan suffered a 2-1 defeat to Malawi in their opening Group B fixture. The top two teams in each qualifying group will secure places at the 2027 AFCON tournament, which will be jointly hosted by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.