Salah Gets a Timeout, Marmoush Comes Back: Egypt’s Shuffle Before AFCON
15 November 2025
Marmoush Returns
Hossam Hassan, Egypt's head coach, approved Mohamed Salah's request to rest for Cape Verde's friendly on Monday, a match to decide third place in the Eye Cup in the UAE.
Egypt, with Salah, lost 2-0 to Uzbekistan in the semi-final on Thursday.
The Pharaohs now prepare for the Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, running from December 21 to January 18.
Hassan gave Salah a rest from Cape Verde after Salah requested it; Salah is due to face Nottingham Forest on November 22 in the Premier League.
This means Salah misses his seventh match under Hassan; he sat out the March 2024 camp and several AFCON qualifiers, and he will also be absent from the World Cup 2026 qualifiers.
Notably, Salah now misses Cape Verde for the third time, having been sidelined by injuries in AFCON 2023 and related qualifiers.
Marmoush Returns
On Saturday, Marmoush returned to Egypt's camp after being excused from the Uzbekistan game for a family engagement in Aswan.
He joined training and looked strong, and is set to lead the Pharaohs' attack in the Cape Verde clash with Salah out.
Egypt also aims for a fourth World Cup appearance in 2026 and will compete in AFCON group B with South Africa, Angola and Zimbabwe, starting against Zimbabwe.
Hassan stressed that every training session is an opportunity to build chemistry for AFCON.
Punchline 1: If rest is king, Salah must have a royal throne; Marmoush is now the court jester.
Punchline 2: The only thing heavier than Salah on the pitch is the coach's playbook.
