Egypt: Mohamed Salah ruled out against South Sudan, reason revealed

29.09.26 09:00 AFCON - Africa Cup of Nations

South Sudan

-

:

Egypt

-

The Egyptian Football Association has confirmed that Mohamed Salah will miss the match against South Sudan in order to protect its captain on an artificial pitch.

Mohamed Salah will not take part in Egypt’s second match in the 2027 AFCON qualifiers. The Egyptian Football Association announced this Saturday that its captain would not travel to Juba to face South Sudan on September 29. The reason: the artificial pitch at Juba Stadium, deemed sufficiently demanding to lead the staff to protect their star player.

A decision made before the match against Angola

The Federation was keen to clarify that this absence was linked neither to an injury nor to the events that occurred against Angola. “It had been agreed between the national team’s technical staff and Mohamed Salah, before the match against Angola, that he would not play against South Sudan,” the governing body explained, adding that the decision had been made in order to “protect the player”.

This clarification comes amid several rumours that circulated after Friday’s 0-0 draw in Cairo. Salah was substituted around the hour mark by Hossam Hassan, who said after the match that it was purely a tactical decision and that his captain was not suffering from any physical problem.

Salah rested after a busy start to the season

At 34, Salah remains one of the national team’s most heavily relied-upon players. Since joining Trabzonspor, the former Liverpool player has quickly rediscovered his effectiveness, notably scoring a resounding hat-trick against Galatasaray. His impact in Turkey already extends well beyond the sporting sphere alone.

The Egyptian staff therefore prefer not to take any risks on an artificial surface, especially as the qualifying campaign is only just beginning. The schedule for the Pharaohs’ first two matches had precisely called for this trip to South Sudan four days after hosting Angola.

Egypt already under pressure

After their opening draw, Egypt will therefore have to pursue their first victory without their captain. South Sudan, beaten 2-1 by Malawi on the opening day, will try to take advantage of Salah’s absence to cause an upset. It is already an important match in Group B, where no favourite can afford to drop too many points from the outset.

Also read: 2027 AFCON qualifiers: Saturday’s schedule

Mahdi Zakaria LAZRI |

Editor

Football web writer creating digital sports content with a focus on news, analysis and stories that reflect passion, accuracy and objectivity.

Related teams and leagues

South Sudan

Egypt

AFCON - Africa Cup of Nations