Egypt forward Salah misses training ahead of Bafana showdown

05 July 2019 - 12:59 By reuters
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Egyptian national team football player and Liverpool's star striker Mohamed Salah (R) and head of the Chechen Republic Ramzan Kadyrov pose during a training of Egyptian team at the Akhmat Arena stadium in Grozny on June 10, 2018, ahead of the Russia 2018 World Cup.
Egyptian national team football player and Liverpool's star striker Mohamed Salah (R) and head of the Chechen Republic Ramzan Kadyrov pose during a training of Egyptian team at the Akhmat Arena stadium in Grozny on June 10, 2018, ahead of the Russia 2018 World Cup.
Image: KARIM JAAFAR / AFP

Egypt forward Mohamed Salah missed training with a cold on Friday, two days before the Africa Cup of Nations hosts meet South Africa in a round-of-16 tie.

The Egyptian Football Association said in a statement on Twitter that coach Javier Aguirre had ordered Salah not to train “so as not to worsen his condition” without giving further details.

Salah, who scored two goals in three games during the group stage, is one of the biggest names in the tournament and an icon in his homeland.

His absence would be a significant blow for the seven times champions, who have been criticised at home for their performances in the group stage despite winning all three games without conceding a goal.

Many Egyptians feel that the current team is a shadow of the side which won three successive tournaments between 2006 and 2010

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