Egypt captain Mohamed Salah’s request to be left out of the team for the trip to South Sudan has been granted, the Egyptian FA has confirmed.
The former Liverpool forward doesn’t want to play on the artificial turf which is the surface at the Juba international stadium.
South Sudan hosts the Pharaohs on Tuesday with either nation seeking first maximum points after a false start with the hosts losing their opener 2-1 to Malawi while Egypt were held at home by Angola.
“The Egypt national team’s technical staff, led by Hossam Hassan, has decided to rest Mohamed Salah for the match against South Sudan scheduled for 29 September because of the playing surface,” the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) said.
“It was agreed between the national team’s technical staff and Mohamed Salah before the Angola match that he would not play against South Sudan, and the technical staff preferred this approach in order to protect the player,” it added.
The Trabzonspor man fears to risk injuries associated with the artificial turf playing surface as many perceive although there have been technological improvements in the recent past.
