Why Egypt Left Mohamed Salah Out of the South Sudan Qualifier Over Artificial Turf
A Rest on the Road
Egypt’s decision to leave Mohamed Salah out of an Africa Cup of Nations qualifier in South Sudan had little to do with form. The Egyptian Football Association said the match, played on artificial turf in Juba, was the reason Salah did not travel with the squad. The BBC reported that head coach Hossam Hassan’s technical staff agreed with Salah before the opening group game against Angola that he would not play in South Sudan, choosing to protect him.
Salah has been in strong form for Trabzonspor since leaving Liverpool. ESPN counted seven goals and two assists in six Turkish league appearances. The omission was therefore a precaution, not a performance call.
When the Pitch Becomes the Issue
Artificial surfaces have a reputation for raising injury risk, even as modern pitches improve. The BBC noted that studies have not shown a greater risk on such turf. Still, national teams often treat the surface with caution, particularly when a player’s workload is already high.
That caution is not new for Salah. ESPN reported that Egypt also excused him from a qualifier against Mauritania in 2024. The pattern suggests the national team will keep making conservative calls to protect its most important attacker.
A Substitution, Rumors, and a Ministry
The South Sudan decision did not happen in a vacuum. In Egypt’s first qualifier, a draw with Angola, Hassan substituted Salah after about an hour. Egyptian media speculated that Salah was unhappy with the change, ESPN reported. The federation moved to explain the omission as a pitch-related decision, not a reaction to the substitution.
The tension reached the government. Goal.com reported that Sports Minister Gohar Nabil stepped in to calm the dispute. Hassan denied any crisis with Salah and insisted the only reason for the absence was protecting him on artificial turf.
What the Group Stage Needs
The qualifier matters beyond one squad list. The top two teams in the group advance to the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, hosted by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. Malawi leads Group B after beating South Sudan 2-1 in their opener. Egypt, with one point from the Angola draw, need to collect points on the road.
It is not possible to confirm from the federation’s statement whether Salah’s substitution in the Angola game played any part in the decision. What the episode shows is how a routine management choice can become a national talking point, and how quickly a football federation, a coach and a government minister can be drawn into the story.