Egypt’s coach, Hossam Hassan, is looking to put to rest any doubts about Mohamed Salah’s relationship with the national team on Tuesday as the forward heads to South Sudan for the Africa Cup of Nations qualification clash.
It came to light on Saturday when Salah was sent off in Egypt’s Group B opener against Angola in the second half of the match. The 34-year-old then departed the national team’s training camp the next day and there was speculation about the rationale behind his departure from the team.
This was followed by Hassan’s earlier explanation that Salah’s substitution was for “technical reasons” which added to the discussion, especially after the forward had been so hot since joining Trabzonspor in Turkey from Liverpool. Egyptian reports also linked the episode to previous comments made by Hassan about the senior players in the team including the goalkeeper Mohamed El Shenawy.
But before Egypt headed to Juba, Hassan categorically denied there was a rift between him and Salah and highlighted the latter’s significance to the national team.
Mohamed Salah is an influential player, one of the pillars of the side, Hassan told reporters, adding his respect for all the players, particularly Salah. The coach also said that he agreed with Salah’s absence against South Sudan before the Angola match. According to Hassan, the decision was related to the artificial playing surface in Juba.
He said that they decided as a team to stop praying Salah due to the artificial pitch as the player had spoken to him regarding the issue before the first qualifier.
Hassan pointed out that “Egypt will need Salah for their next games and maintaining players’ fitness is a prerequisite.” After being beaten by Angola in their first game, Egypt are still looking to register their first win of the qualifying campaign.
