This archive report was first published on 23 August 2021.
On August 23, 2021, Egypt's football association (EFA) revealed that Liverpool had refused to release Mohamed Salah for the Pharaohs' upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Angola and Gabon due to UK quarantine regulations.
According to the EFA, Liverpool informed them that Mohamed Salah would be unable to join the national team for the matches against Angola in Cairo and Gabon in Franceville as part of the World Cup qualifiers. The decision was reportedly prompted by 'mandatory isolation for 10 days' for travellers returning from countries on the UK Government's 'red list', which includes Egypt and Brazil.
Both Egypt and Brazil are on the UK Government's 'red list', and the EFA has urged FIFA to waive quarantine restrictions for international players to ease their joining their national squads for the 2022 World Cup qualifiers.
It's worth noting that this is not the first time Liverpool has refused to allow Salah to play in a major tournament. In the summer, Liverpool refused to allow Salah to play in the Olympics, where Egypt reached the quarter-finals before losing to eventual gold medallists Brazil.
Salah, 29, has been in excellent form for Liverpool, becoming the first player in English Premier League history to score a goal on the opening weekend of five consecutive seasons.
