Liverpool and Man City 'go crazy' over Salah and Marmoush

Before the start of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), Egypt's forwards Omar Marmoush and Mohamed Salah have sparked controversy between themselves and their Premier League clubs about playing in a warm-up friendly ahead of the competition.

The issue began when coach Hossam Hassan requested Omar Marmoush and Mohamed Salah to participate in a friendly against Nigeria on December 14, just a week before the 2025 AFCON kicks off in Morocco. Normally, this is standard as national teams that haven't gathered recently need to get players match-fit through friendlies. However, both Man City and Liverpool firmly opposed this.

According to The Telegraph, Man City is likely to refuse releasing Marmoush for this match. The reason being, on December 14, Pep Guardiola's team has an away game against Crystal Palace in the Premier League. Marmoush, who recently scored in the 3-1 Carabao Cup win over Swansea, is expected to play if fit. He would join Egypt only after the Palace match, meaning the former Frankfurt player will miss the Carabao Cup fixture against Brentford on December 16.

Mohamed Salah’s situation at Liverpool is similar. Liverpool have a match against Brighton on December 13 and are reluctant to release players just for a friendly, even if Nigeria is following the rules. If Egypt advances far in AFCON, both Marmoush and Salah could miss several crucial club matches.

It is expected that Marmoush could miss eight Man City games, including key clashes with Chelsea and Manchester United, while Salah might be absent from at least seven Liverpool matches. Additionally, Man City will lose Algerian left-back Rayan Aït-Nouri for the tournament.

Reacting to the congested schedule, Man City’s Pep Guardiola said: “This competition belongs to the countries and their continents. When the schedule comes, players must join their national team call-ups. For now, I’m only focused on upcoming matches. When they can’t play, we will adapt.”

Guardiola also highlighted the increasing competitiveness of the Premier League compared to previous years: “I used to hear that in England anyone can beat anyone. Now, we all know surprises can happen every week. Maybe Liverpool and us changed that with seasons near 100 points. But now, every team can produce unbelievable results. Of course, this is great for the fans and for football.”

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