South Sudan: a banner targets Mohamed Salah after his absence due to the artificial turf

29.09.26 FT AFCON - Africa Cup of Nations

South Sudan

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Egypt

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Mohamed Salah did not take part in Egypt’s 5-0 victory over South Sudan on Tuesday in Juba, in the second round of the 2027 AFCON qualifiers. The Egyptian captain had not travelled with the team because of concerns over the artificial turf at Juba National Stadium.

Salah’s absence had been decided before the trip. Hossam Hassan explained that the player himself had asked to be rested because of the playing surface.

“We decided to rest Salah because of the artificial turf. He had spoken to me about it before the match against Angola, and we agreed,” the Egypt manager explained before the game.

Hossam Hassan also stressed the importance of his captain, whom he considers “an important and influential player” and “one of the best players in the world.”

Read also: The 60th-minute shock: why Mohamed Salah really left Hossam Hassan’s Egypt camp

A banner addressed to Mohamed Salah

The striker’s absence did not go unnoticed in the stands at Juba Stadium. A banner held up by South Sudanese supporters was aimed directly at the Egyptian captain.

The message displayed read:

“You lack national team spirit. Mané came to play here.”

The reference was to Sadio Mané, who is regularly cited as an example of a player who has agreed to represent his national team in difficult conditions. The banner, visible in the stadium, appeared as the decision to rest Salah had sparked debate surrounding the match.

Egypt secure a convincing win without their captain

On the pitch, Egypt ultimately did not suffer from the absence of their attacking leader. The Pharaohs secured a 5-0 victory thanks to a brace from Omar Marmoush and goals from Mostafa Ziko, Ibrahim Adel and Hamza Abdelkarim.

Marmoush in particular benefited from being named in the starting XI in Salah’s absence to score twice, while young Hamza Abdelkarim netted his first international goal in stoppage time.

Hossam Hassan acknowledged after the match that the playing surface had made the game difficult.

“The factors that made the match difficult were mainly the temperature and the artificial turf,” the manager said.

Egypt now have four points after two rounds in their 2027 AFCON qualifying group.

Nouya M'toama

Editorfr, en

Versatile journalist specializing in sports and political news, with extensive experience across radio, print and digital media platforms.

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AFCON - Africa Cup of Nations