Mohamed Salah ruled out of Egypt match against South Sudan
Egypt forward Mohamed Salah will miss the upcoming match against South Sudan due to the artificial playing surface.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 2.0 / Author: Eric The Fish
Egypt have decided to leave Mohamed Salah out of their Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against South Sudan due to the artificial surface at the venue in Juba.
The Egyptian Football Association confirmed that the coaching staff, led by Hossam Hassan, opted to rest the 34-year-old forward to protect his fitness. The decision was reached in consultation with the player prior to the goalless draw against Angola in Cairo.
"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 in order to protect the player," the Egyptian Football Association stated.
While studies often suggest that modern synthetic surfaces do not carry a significantly higher risk of injury, there remains a persistent perception in football that such pitches can be detrimental to players. Salah, who recently moved to Turkish club Trabzonspor after a prolific nine-year spell at Liverpool, has started his new campaign in strong form with seven goals in six league appearances.