Egyptian football star Mohamed Salah has tested positive for COVID-19, the Egyptian soccer association said on Friday.
The announcement came on the eve of a match against Togo. Salah had returned to Egypt recently for games in the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
Egypt was to play Togo in Cairo on Saturday and in Lome, Togo's capital, on Tuesday. The Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers resumed on Wednesday, after being suspended for eight months.
"All those who were exposed to him have also been quarantined, added the Egyptian team’s statement. The statement did not name any of the players. It was also unclear if any other players would miss out on the games with Togo," Associated Press reported.
“Salah was the first Egyptian player to become a Premier League champion—global stardom gained on the strength of a single brilliant season with Liverpool, which he joined in 2018 from Roma—and is beloved among fellow Egyptians who see him as a sign of hope for a third-world country battered by poverty and years of political turmoil,” Associated Press said.
