Salah left out as Egypt face South Sudan without captain over artificial turf
Egypt will play their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against South Sudan in Juba on Tuesday, September 29, without Mohamed Salah, after his technical staff decided to rest the 34-year-old to protect him from potential injury on the artificial pitch.
The decision
The Egyptian Football Association confirmed that the technical staff led by Hossam Hassan decided to rest Mohamed Salah for the match against South Sudan because the Juba Stadium pitch is artificial turf. According to BBC and Sports Illustrated, the arrangement between the coaching staff and Salah was agreed before the previous game against Angola, specifically to protect the player. Salah started Friday's goalless draw with Angola in Cairo and played the first hour before being substituted by Hassan.
Not the first time
Goal.com notes this isn't the first such call — in October 2024, Egypt faced Mauritania and Cape Verde on artificial turf in Nouakchott, when Liverpool's medical staff (Salah's club at the time) raised concerns about a recurrence of back and knee injuries. The BBC points out, however, that while there is a perception of higher injury risk on artificial surfaces, studies have shown no evidence supporting that increased risk.
A contested argument
Goal.com's analysis highlights a paradox: Salah's new club, Trabzonspor, will play in the UEFA Europa Conference League against Finland's KuPS, whose Väre Arena is entirely covered in artificial turf. The outlet questions whether Egypt's federation would apply the same caution to a club fixture, noting that, per its review, there is no documented case of Salah suffering an injury specifically caused by artificial turf.
Context and what's next
Salah left Liverpool this summer after nine seasons, 442 appearances and 257 goals, winning nine major trophies, before joining Turkish side Trabzonspor. Sports Illustrated reports he has scored seven goals with two assists in his first eight appearances for the club, while the BBC cites seven goals and two assists across six Turkish Super Lig matches — the two sources give slightly different appearance counts. He recently scored a hat-trick and added an assist in a 4-0 win over reigning champions Galatasaray.
Despite the absence of its captain, Egypt remains heavily favored to beat South Sudan. Salah is expected to return to the squad on October 4, when Egypt host South Africa in a friendly in Cairo.
