Mohamed Salah will miss Egypt’s Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against South Sudan after the Egyptian Football Association announced that he will not travel with the squad to Juba.
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The match is scheduled for September 29 at Juba Stadium, which has an artificial turf pitch. The association said Egypt’s technical staff, led by Hossam Hassan, decided to rest the forward because of the playing surface and to protect the player.
Decision agreed before Angola match
According to the Egyptian Football Association, the arrangement was reached between the technical staff and Salah before Egypt’s opening qualifier against Angola. The association said it had been agreed that he would not play in South Sudan.
“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,” the association said in a statement. It added that the technical staff preferred the decision in order to protect him.
The announcement does not report an injury to Salah. His absence has instead been attributed to the artificial playing surface and the decision to manage his involvement in the qualifying campaign.
Egypt begins campaign with draw
Salah started Egypt’s first qualifier against Angola at Cairo International Stadium but was substituted midway through the second half. The match ended 0-0.
Egypt is in Group B of the qualifiers alongside Angola, South Sudan and Malawi. The team is seeking a place at the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, which will be co-hosted by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.
Artificial turf surfaces are described as carrying a higher risk of injuries than natural-grass pitches. That concern is relevant to the South Sudan fixture because the match will be played on the artificial surface at Juba Stadium.
Salah’s importance to Egypt
Salah is a two-time African Footballer of the Year and has scored 68 goals for Egypt. He is one goal short of matching Hassan’s reported record of 69 goals for the national team.
Egypt, a seven-time African champion, has not won the continental title since 2010. The team will therefore continue its qualifying campaign without its captain and leading attacking figure for the trip to South Sudan.
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