Liverpool declines Mohamed Salah’s request.
Liverpool are preparing on having Mohamed Salah and Ibrahima Konate ready for their full pre-season program – despite both being required for Olympics duty.
The Reds have rejected a request from Egypt to free Salah as one of two over-age players in their team for the games in Japan, with the men’s football competition taking place between July 22 and August 7.
France, meanwhile, could call upon Liverpool’s new £36m signing Konate, with the 22-year-old and having worked under French coach Sylvain Ripoll with his country’s under-21 side.
The Reds now know forward Takumi Minamino will not feature having been excluded from the hosts’ 18-man crew that was announced on Monday.
FIFA rule states clubs are under no enforceable commitment to release their players for the Olympics, which falls outside the international match calendar and would see players blow a significant chunk of pre-season with their clubs.
And Liverpool have made explicit their stance to the respective federations with it unlikely any of their players will be included in the tournament.
Egypt, though, have not given up on including Salah, notwithstanding acknowledging the Reds are already worried the 29-year-old – along with Sadio Mane and Naby Keita – could miss more than a month of next season due to Africa Cup of Nations duty.
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The Egyptian FA are expecting the player will strongly make a case for Olympics participation to Liverpool and anticipate a definitive answer by the end of the week.
“I do not want to say that it is impossible for Salah to participate in the Olympics, but it is difficult,” said Egyptian FA president Ahmed Megahed to ONTimeSport. ‘Salah agreed to lead the Olympic team during the last camp of the Egyptian team.
“We contacted Liverpool to allow Salah to join the Olympic team, and they said they were waiting for the approval of the technical staff, but in the end, Liverpool refused the request because they do not want to lose the player at the beginning of the season, as well as next January with the Africa Cup of Nations, which will keep him from participating in the English Premier League matches.
“We spoke with Salah again, and he told us that he will make a new attempt with the technical staff of his team, to resolve the matter, and within the next two days he will find a way.”
Tokyo, which will host the Olympics that was postponed by 12 months due to the coronavirus pandemic, on Sunday raised a state of emergency inflicted due to a surge in infections in Japan’s capital and other major cities.
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Liverpool declines Mohamed Salah’s request.
