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

Mohamed Salah will not travel with Egypt’s squad to South Sudan for their AFCON qualifier on September 29 due to concerns over the artificial turf at Juba Stadium, which poses a higher injury risk. The Egyptian team’s technical staff, led by Hossam Hassan, decided to rest Salah after a prior agreement with him, to protect the player. Salah, who has scored 68 goals for Egypt, is close to breaking the all-time scoring record of 69 held by Hassan. The match will be played on an artificial surface, prompting the decision to rest Salah.