Mohamed Salah will not play for Egypt against South Sudan on 29 September after the Egyptian Football Federation decided to leave him out because of the pitch.
The match will be played on a “tartan” surface, with Egypt’s coaching staff, led by Hossam Hassan, opting to rest the Liverpool forward to protect his fitness.
It is not the first time Egypt have taken precautions over Salah’s involvement on synthetic pitches considered unsuitable for the player.
In a statement, the Egyptian Football Federation said: “The technical staff of the Egypt national football team, led by Hossam Hassan, decided to rest Mohamed Salah for the match against South Sudan scheduled for 29 September, because of the ‘tartan’ surface of the pitch.”
The federation also confirmed that the decision had been agreed before Egypt’s match against Angola.
It added: “An agreement was reached before the match against Angola between the national team’s technical staff and Mohamed Salah for him not to play against South Sudan, with the technical staff preferring this solution in order to protect the player.”