Mohamed Salah will miss Egypt's second Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against South Sudan on September 29th due to the match being staged on an artificial turf pitch, the Egyptian Football Association announced on Saturday. The decision to withdraw the star midfielder comes after Egypt's opening qualifier ended in a goalless stalemate with Angola at Cairo International Stadium on Friday, where Salah featured in the starting lineup before being substituted midway through the second half by coach Hossam Hassan.
The EFA clarified that the technical staff's choice to rest Salah was made with the player's wellbeing in mind. "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 September 29th because of the playing surface," the association stated on social media. The governing body added that this arrangement had been agreed upon with Salah before the Angola encounter, indicating that both the coaching staff and the player were aligned on the protective measure from the outset.
Salah's recent move to Turkish club Trabzonspor from Liverpool adds extra context to the cautious approach being taken with his fitness. The South Sudan fixture will take place at Juba Stadium, which features an artificial turf surface—a surface type that has become a point of consideration for clubs and national teams managing high-profile players' physical demands and injury prevention strategies.
With Egypt's campaign underway and Salah sidelined for this particular qualifier, the national team will need to navigate the South Sudan encounter without one of their most influential attacking forces. The decision underscores the heightened attention being paid to player management in international football, particularly when venue conditions present variables that technical staffs deem worth mitigating through strategic rotation.