Egypt has opted to rest forward Mohamed Salah from their upcoming Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against South Sudan. The match, scheduled for September 29 in Juba, will be played on artificial turf, a factor cited by the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) for the decision.
The EFA confirmed that the national team's technical staff, led by Hossam Hassan, agreed with Salah before the recent Angola match that he would not participate against South Sudan. This approach was taken to protect the 34-year-old player.
Salah, who joined Turkish club Trabzonspor after nine years with Liverpool, started Friday's goalless draw against Angola in Cairo. He was substituted by coach Hassan after an hour of play. This season, Salah has scored seven goals and provided two assists in six Turkish Super Lig games for Trabzonspor.