The technical staff of the Egyptian national team has decided to exclude defender Mohamed Abdelmonem from the upcoming fixture against South Sudan, following a medical advisory sent by his club, OGC Nice, warning against his participation on Juba Stadium’s artificial turf.
Ibrahim Hassan, the national team manager, clarified that the decision is linked to Abdelmonem’s previous anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) surgery, with the medical staff prioritizing precaution to avoid any unnecessary risks to his knee following a lengthy rehabilitation period.
The Egyptian center-back suffered a torn ACL in his right knee during OGC Nice’s 3–1 victory over Paris Saint-Germain on April 25, 2025, before undergoing successful surgery five days later in Strasbourg.
The injury sidelined Abdelmonem for nearly a full year. He returned to partial training in January 2026 and featured in a friendly match roughly 300 days into his recovery, though his official competitive return was slightly delayed by a minor muscular setback.
Abdelmonem has gradually reclaimed his role at OGC Nice, appearing in 5 matches this season for a total of 341 minutes—including 4 starts—maintaining a 61% duel success rate.
His exclusion remains purely preventative rather than the result of a fresh injury, as artificial turf imposes significantly higher joint stress on the knee compared to natural grass, in line with Nice’s medical recommendation.
His departure follows Mohamed Salah’s exit from the national team camp, with the Liverpool forward also skipping the trip to Juba under a prior arrangement to rest him on artificial surfaces. Meanwhile, striker Osama Faisal has been called up to reinforce the attacking options.
Egypt face South Sudan on September 29 in the AFCON 2027 qualifiers, seeking their first win following a goalless draw against Angola in their opening match, while South Sudan look to bounce back after a 2–1 loss to Malawi.
