The absence of Egyptian international Mohamed Salah from the Pharaohs' match against South Sudan, hosted at Juba National Stadium, had an impact beyond football, extending to a sense of frustration among fans.
The Egyptian national team defeated its host, South Sudan, by five goals to nil in a match played as part of the qualifiers for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations.
According to the FotAfrica website, some South Sudanese fans were disappointed by Salah's absence from the match and sent him a special message.
The site noted that a group of South Sudanese fans held up a banner during the match reading: "Salah, you lack sportsmanship. Mané came to play here."
The reference on the banner was to Senegalese international Sadio Mané, given that he agreed to represent his national team under conditions more difficult than playing on Juba Stadium's artificial turf, according to the site.
Earlier, the Football Association announced that Mohamed Salah would miss the South Sudan match due to the stadium's "tartan" surface.
However, Egypt's head coach, Hossam Hassan, stated during the post-match press conference that: "Mohamed Salah missed the game due to personal circumstances."
Regardless of the reasons that led Salah not to travel to Juba, it seems that South Sudanese fans have not forgiven him for missing the match, as they had hoped to see the Egyptian star for the first time on their pitch, which holds only a few thousand spectators, rather than watching him through screens.
