Mohamed Salah will miss Egypt’s Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against South Sudan on September 29 after the Egyptian Football Association decided to rest the forward because of the artificial playing surface in Juba.
The 34-year-old Trabzonspor forward will not travel with the Egyptian squad for the second Group B qualifier. The match is scheduled to take place at Juba Stadium, which has an artificial turf pitch.
The Egyptian Football Association said the decision was agreed between Salah and the national team’s technical staff before the opening qualifier against Angola.
Head coach Hossam Hassan’s technical team opted to leave the captain out of the South Sudan fixture as a precaution to protect him from playing on the surface.
Salah started Egypt’s opening qualifier against Angola in Cairo on Friday but was substituted after about an hour as the match ended goalless. The result gave Egypt one point from their opening game of the 2027 AFCON qualifying campaign.
The decision to rest Salah is not linked to a reported injury. Instead, it follows concerns from the Egyptian technical staff over the playing surface and the desire to manage the forward’s workload.
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Artificial pitches are sometimes viewed by players and teams as potentially more demanding on the body, although the relationship between artificial surfaces and overall injury risk is not straightforward and can depend on factors such as the type and condition of the surface.
Salah recently left Liverpool after nine years at Anfield and joined Turkish club Trabzonspor. During his Liverpool career, he made 442 appearances and scored 257 goals, while winning nine major trophies.
He has also made a strong start to life in Turkey, with seven goals and two assists in six Turkish Super Lig appearances this season.
Egypt will now prepare to face South Sudan without their captain as they continue their push for qualification for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, which will be hosted by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.