<<Print>>

The Reds are following advice when it comes to preventing the spread of coronavirus and will not allow their star forward to play for his country.

Liverpool are refusing to release Mohamed Salah for 2022 World Cup qualification duty, the Egyptian Football Federation has revealed, with the Reds superstar set to sit out upcoming meetings with Angola and Gabon.

The Pharaohs are due to be in first and second round qualifying action in September, but their talismanic figure will not form part of their plans.

That is because Premier League heavyweights are following advice regarding the spread of coronavirus, while also being reluctant to see Salah forced into quarantine once he returns to Britain from international duty.

What has been said?

A statement released by the Egyptian FA reads: "The Egyptian Football Association continues its continuous contacts regarding the task of international players joining their national teams to participate in the World Cup qualifiers, which requires exempting them from travel restrictions imposed on them in the countries in which they play due to the coronavirus pandemic.

"The Egyptian Football Association has received a letter from Liverpool FC apologising for the unavailability of its player, Mohamed Salah, to join the national team in its next camp, which includes facing Angola in Cairo and Gabon in Franceville during the first and second rounds of the African continent's qualifiers for the World Cup.

"The English club’s letter referred to the precautionary measures applied in England to confront the outbreak of the coronavirus in the world, which puts returnees from some countries in compulsory health isolation for a period of ten days upon their return to England.

"In this letter, the English club also expressed its hope that the Egyptian Federation would understand that it was forced to do so, in the face of the player being subjected to a quarantine for this period and being affected by this physically, as well as the uncertainty of the conditions determined by English authorities.

"It is noteworthy that Liverpool FC took the same position with a number of its foreign players."