Did Mohamed Salah refuse to be substituted? Egypt FA break silence on rumours involving Liverpool attacker
The Egyptian FA have provided clarity amid rumors of captain Mohamed Salah refusing to be substituted in his last appearance for his nation in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. The 31-year-old Liverpool forward had goal contributions in the last two matches for Egypt against Burkina Faso and Guinea-Bissau.
After scoring a goal against Guinea-Bissau in the 70th minute on June 10, a controversy involving Mo Salah surfaced.
Mostafa Fathi and Nasser Maher were heading to come in on stoppage time. However, only Maher replaced Ahmed Amin and Fathi did not make an appearance. Some assumed that Fathi's substitution did not take place as Salah was not ready to be replaced.
Addressing the ongoing rumors, the Egyptian FA missed an official statement, confirming that the national team captain did not object to any substitution. The statement read:
"There is absolutely no truth to the rumors that Mohamed Salah refused to leave the pitch. Salah was not going to be substituted off in the first place. Hossam Hassan was content with only bringing on Nasser Maher."
Salah has netted 55 goals and provided 33 assists in 98 appearances for Egypt. He finished as a runner-up twice in the Africa Cup of Nations in 2017 and 2021.
Iniesta believes Mohamed Salah could have been a great signing for Barcelona
Barcelona icon Iniesta believes that Mohamed Salah could have been a good addition to the squad at Camp Nou. While speaking on the Vamos La Liga podcast, the former Blaugrana midfielder named the Egyptian icon and said:
"Signing Mohamed Salah would have been a special deal for Barcelona."
The Catalan club was reportedly interested in signing Mo Salah two years ago as a replacement for their star forward Lionel Messi.
Salah arrived at Anfield in 2017 following his tenure at Roma. He has scored 211 goals and provided 89 assists in 349 appearances for Liverpool. The forward has won the 2019–20 Premier League, the 2021–22 FA Cup, the 2021–22 EFL Cup, and the 2018–19 UEFA Champions League, among other titles, for the Reds.