Egypt to rest Salah in South Sudan AFCON qualifier over pitch concerns

Egyptian FA has decided to rest Salah to protect him from playing on artificial turf, which has a higher risk of injuries.Published On 26 Sep 202626 Sep 2026Mohamed Salah will not travel with ⁠Egypt’s ⁠squad to South Sudan for their second Africa Cup of Nations qualifier because the ⁠match will be played on artificial turf, the Egyptian Football Association said ⁠on Saturday.Record seven-time AFCON champions Egypt were held to a goalless draw by Angola at Cairo International Stadium on Friday in their opening qualifier.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Senegal draw in Vieira debut, Nigeria survive scare, but Cape Verde crashlist 2 of 3Pressure to boycott Israel game grows as Ireland preparations stalllist 3 of 3England host world champions Spain in Nations League opener – all to knowend of listTwo-time African Footballer of the Year, Salah, who ‌joined Turkiye’s Trabzonspor from Liverpool last month, started against Angola but did not complete the match after coach Hossam Hassan substituted him midway through the second half.“The Egypt national team’s technical staff, led by Hossam Hassan, has ⁠decided to rest Mohamed Salah ⁠for the match against South Sudan scheduled f...