Egypt Sits Salah for Qualifier ‘Over Artificial Turf Concerns’

Mohamed Salah, Egypt’s captain and longtime talisman, will sit out Tuesday’s Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against South Sudan in Juba, with the national federation citing the artificial playing surface as the reason.

The Egyptian Football Association (EFA) said the decision was made jointly by the coaching staff and Salah before Friday’s 25 September scoreless draw with Angola in Cairo, in which the forward started but was substituted midway through the second half by coach Hossam Hassan. The federation framed the move as precautionary, meant to shield the 34-year-old from the physical toll of synthetic turf rather than reflecting any dip in form.

This follows reports of tension between Salah and Hassan following the forward’s substitution in the 60th minute against Angola. Egyptian journalist Ahmed Abdel Basset reported discord inside the dressing room, though neither Salah nor the EFA has confirmed that account.

Wariness of artificial pitches is common in professional soccer. Even though the evidence is mixed, as many players and coaches believe such surfaces raise injury risk, research has not firmly established that they are more dangerous than grass.

Egypt is still settling in after a busy summer at the World Cup, and this qualifier, followed by a friendly against South Africa on 4 October, is an early test of that.

For Salah, the rest comes amid an otherwise smooth transition since departing Liverpool this year after nine seasons, 442 appearances, 257 goals and nine trophies. At Trabzonspor in Turkey, he has kept up that scoring pace, contributing seven goals and two assists in six league games. His absence also puts a personal milestone on hold, as he sits one goal shy of Egypt’s all-time scoring record of 69, held by Hassan.