{
  "id": 10043196,
  "title": "Salah left out of Egypt squad due to artificial turf",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/26/salah-left-out-of-egypt-squad-due-to-artificial-turf",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-26T19:14:47.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Punch Nigeria",
    "slug": "punch-nigeria",
    "url": "https://punchng.com/salah-left-out-of-egypt-squad-due-to-artificial-turf/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The 34-year-old forward, Mohamed Salah, was left out of Egypt's squad for their September 29 AFCON qualifier against South Sudan due to concerns about playing on artificial turf. Salah, now a Turkish club Trabzonspor player, started Egypt's goalless draw with Angola on Friday but was substituted after an hour. The Egyptian Football Association (EFA) confirmed that the decision to rest Salah was agreed between the national team's coaching staff and the player before the Angola match. The EFA stated that the coaching staff, led by Hossam Hassan, preferred to leave Salah out of the South Sudan match due to the artificial playing surface and to protect the player. Despite Salah's successful tenure at Liverpool, where he made 442 appearances and scored 257 goals, and his impressive start at Trabzonspor, the EFA prioritized his wellbeing by omitting him from the squad.",
  "summary": "Mohamed Salah has been left out of Egypt’s squad for the AFCON qualifier against South Sudan because the match will be played on an artificial pitch. Read More: https://punchng.com/salah-left-out-of-egypt-squad-due-to-artificial-turf/",
  "key_points": [
    "Mohamed Salah excluded from Egypt squad for South Sudan match.",
    "Concerns over artificial turf playing surface.",
    "Decision made jointly by coaching staff and Salah."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Punch",
        "title": "Salah left out of Egypt squad due to artificial turf",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/26/salah-left-out-of-egypt-squad-due-to-artificial-turf-10045667",
        "published": "2026-09-26T19:28:47.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}