Egyptian international Mohamed Salah is preparing to begin his European campaign with Turkish club Trabzonspor, in a match that presents a striking irony, nearly two weeks after leaving the Pharaohs' training camp due to South Sudan's home game being played on artificial turf.
Trabzonspor will visit Finnish side Kuopio on October 15, in the first round of the league phase of the UEFA Conference League.
Salah and the return to artificial turf
The Egyptian national team's technical staff, led by Hossam Hassan, decided to rest Salah from the South Sudan match in the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, because the game was held at Juba Stadium, which has an artificial surface.
Salah left the Egyptian national team's camp before the delegation traveled to South Sudan, one day after the goalless draw against Angola.
Days after that incident, Salah will face another match on artificial turf, but this time wearing the Trabzonspor jersey in the team's first match of the league phase of the UEFA Conference League.
Information about the stadium for Trabzon's UEFA Conference League match
The match between Kuopio and Trabzonspor will be played at Tammela Stadium in the Finnish city of Tampere.
According to the official website of the city of Tampere, Tammela Stadium holds approximately 8,000 spectators and features a heated artificial turf surface.
