The Aporia · Egypt to rest Salah in South Sudan AFCON qualifier over pitch concerns

The Egyptian Football Association announced that star player Mohamed Salah will not join his team for their upcoming Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against South Sudan due to concerns about playing on artificial turf at Juba Stadium. This decision was made by coach Hossam Hassan and Salah before the recent goalless draw with Angola, where Salah did not finish the match after being substituted. The risk of injury from artificial turf is cited as the reason for Salah's absence, despite his record 68 goals for Egypt that place him just one short of tying Hassan’s all-time record.

Written by AI on 2026-09-26, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

Story summary

The Egyptian Football Association announced that star player Mohamed Salah will not travel with the national team to South Sudan for their second Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier due to concerns about playing on artificial turf at the Juba Stadium. This decision was made following Egypt’s goalless draw against Angola in Cairo on Friday, September 23. The technical staff led by coach Hossam Hassan decided to rest Salah ahead of the match scheduled for September 29 to protect him from potential injuries associated with artificial surfaces. Despite concerns about player safety on synthetic pitches, Salah is expected to return for a friendly match against South Africa in Egypt on October 4.

Written for “Salah Dropped for AFCON Qualifier” on 2026-11-04, grounded in this article and the 1 other(s) covering the same event.

📰 Salah Dropped for AFCON Qualifier

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Bizarre reason Mohamed Salah dropped for Egypt AFCON qualifier revealed in statement Same event

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framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-09-26

🔮 Mohamed Salah will not travel with Egypt’s squad to South Sudan for their second Africa Cup of Nations qualifier because the match will be played on artificial turf, the Egyptian Football Association said on Saturday.

2026-09-26 · Al Jazeera

Egypt to rest Salah in South Sudan AFCON qualifier over pitch concerns · assertive framing

Mohamed Salah will not travel with Egypt’s squad to South Sudan for their second Africa Cup of Nations qualifier because the match will be played on artificial turf, the Egyptian Football Association said on Saturday. asserted

Association → travel → Saturday

Record seven-time AFCON champions Egypt were held to a goalless draw by Angola at Cairo International Stadium on Friday in their opening qualifier. asserted

Egypt → hold → qualifier

preparations → survive → opener

Two-time African Footballer of the Year, Salah, who joined Turkiye’s Trabzonspor from Liverpool last month, started against Angola but did not complete the match after coach Hossam Hassan substituted him midway through the second half. asserted

Hassan → join → half

“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 September 29 because of the playing surface,” the EFA said on social media. asserted

EFA → lead → media

“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,” the EFA added. asserted

EFA → agree → player

Salah has scored 68 goals for Egypt and is just one short of matching coach and ex-player Hassan’s all-time record of 69 for The Pharaohs. asserted

Salah → score → Pharaohs

Tuesday’s match between South Sudan and Egypt will be played at Juba Stadium, which has an artificial turf pitch. asserted

which → play → pitch

Such surfaces pose a higher risk of injuries than those with natural grass. asserted

surfaces → pose → grass

The 2027 AFCON will be co-hosted by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, featuring 24 teams. asserted

AFCON → co → teams

Though Egypt are the most successful African side, they haven’t won the championship since 2010. asserted

they → win → 2010

Egypt to rest Salah in South Sudan AFCON qualifier over pitch concerns

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