Egypt star Mohamed Salah tests positive for Covid-19
Liverpool midfielder Mohamed Salah celebrates scoring their third goal during their English Premier League match against Brighton and Hove Albion at the American Express Community Stadium in Brighton, England on July 8, 2020.
What you need to know:
- The Group G match would have been Salah's first match in Egypt colours since the 2019 Cup of Nations held in their backyard.
- The two-time African Footballer of the Year will undergo further tests in coming hours, the federation said.
Liverpool striker Mohamed Salah has tested positive for Covid-19 but without suffering any symptoms on the eve of Egypt's 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Togo, the Egyptian Football Association announced Friday.
The Group G match, set for Saturday in Egypt ahead of Tuesday's return leg in Lome, would have been Salah's first match in Egypt colours since the 2019 Cup of Nations held in their backyard.
Medical swabs on the national team "showed that our international player, Mohamed Salah, Liverpool star, was infected with the coronavirus," it said in a tweet, adding he was "not suffering from any symptoms".
The other members of the group, Kenya and Comoros, battled to a 1-1 draw on Wednesday in Nairobi and face off again on Sunday in Moroni.
The announcement comes as Egypt prepare to tackle Togo at home on Saturday in Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
The tweet said other members of the Egyptian national team tested negative.
Salah was observing medical protocols agreed in consultations between doctors in Egypt and Liverpool, a coronavirus hotspot, and self isolating in a Cairo hotel room.
The two-time African Footballer of the Year will undergo further tests in coming hours, the federation said.
