Salah Sits Out Egypt's Trip to South Sudan

Fans who searched “Salah ruled out Egypt South Sudan AFCON qualifier” this week found an answer that had nothing to do with injury. The Egyptian FA said Mohamed Salah would not travel to South Sudan because the match would be played on artificial turf. Egypt went to Juba without their captain and won 5-0.

The decision

The federation’s statement said coach Hossam Hassan’s staff had agreed with Salah, before the Angola match, that he would not play in South Sudan. In its words, the aim was to protect the player. The game was at Juba Stadium, which has an artificial surface.

A debated worry

The reasoning is contested. Concerns about injury on artificial pitches exist, but studies have not established a greater overall injury risk compared with natural grass. Salah is 34, though, and clubs and countries increasingly manage veterans’ minutes.

There was some background noise too. Salah played 61 minutes against Angola before being replaced, and Egyptian media suggested he was unhappy. The federation said the two things were unrelated. Other reports linked his absence to tension in the camp after Hassan’s remarks, which the federation has not confirmed.

The result

Egypt needed points after a goalless draw with Angola in their opening qualifier. Mostafa Ziko scored first in the 36th minute. Omar Marmoush added two, the first ending a long scoring drought for Egypt, and substitutes Ibrahim Adel and Hamza Abdelkarim added the others. Abdelkarim’s stoppage-time goal was his first for the senior national team.

The win lifted Egypt to four points at the top of Group B and eased pressure on Hassan. Egypt next play a friendly against South Africa on October 4.