Mohamed Salah will sit out Egypt's Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against South Sudan in Juba on Tuesday due to concerns about the artificial pitch, according to a statement from the Egyptian Football Association.
There has been some speculation in the Egyptian media that Salah was unhappy with head coach Hossam Hassan's decision to substitute him after an hour of the Pharaohs' opening qualifier -- a draw with Angola in Cairo on Friday -- but the federation have moved to clarify the reason for his omission from the travelling party.
The EFA confirmed in a statement this weekend that the Pharaohs skipper is not travelling to the South Sudanese capital due to reservations about the playing surface, with the decision having been already taken ahead of Friday's qualifier against Angola.
"The technical staff of Egypt's senior national football team, led by Hossam Hassan, have decided to rest Mohamed Salah from the South Sudan match, scheduled for September 29, due to the pitch at the Juba Stadium," the statement read.
"An agreement was reached between the national team's technical staff and Mohamed Salah before the Angola match that he would not play against South Sudan, with the technical staff preferring this in order to protect the player."
Salah started the 0-0 draw against Angola at the Cairo International Stadium as the seven-time African champions began their qualifying campaign with a low-key draw in their first match since they were eliminated 3-2 by Argentina in the World Cup round of 16 on Jul. 7.
The Trabzonspor forward was replaced by Zico after 61 minutes in that match following a subdued display, with Salah appearing unhappy with the coach's decision to replace him. Hassan later confirming the substitution was tactical rather than due to injury, but local media reported Salah having an exasperated demeanour in the aftermath of the draw.
The point leaves Malawi at the top of Group B after they beat South Sudan 2-1 in their opener, with the Flames now set to face Angola in Luanda in their second group game on Tuesday.
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The top two sides in each group will qualify for next year's tournament -- to be hosted in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania -- with the AFCON set to take place between June and July.
This is not the first time Egypt have been cautious with Salah during a qualifying campaign, with the attacker excused from a qualifier against Mauritania in Nouakchott in October 2024.
Egypt ultimately prevailed 1-0 en route to qualifying for the 2025 Nations Cup, where they were defeated semifinalists.
Salah has been in magnificent form for Trabzonspor since moving to Turkey from Liverpool at the start of the 26-27 season, scoring seven goals and registering two assists in his six Super Lig outings to date.