Mohamed Salah Starts Rehab on Injured Hamstring

Egypt's forward #10 Mohamed Salah (C) reacts during the Africa Cup of Nations (CAN) 2024 group B football match between Cape Verde and Egypt at the Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium in Abidjan on January 22, 2024. (Photo by FRANCK FIFE / AFP)
Egypt's forward #10 Mohamed Salah (C) reacts during the Africa Cup of Nations (CAN) 2024 group B football match between Cape Verde and Egypt at the Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium in Abidjan on January 22, 2024. (Photo by FRANCK FIFE / AFP)
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Mohamed Salah Starts Rehab on Injured Hamstring

Egypt's forward #10 Mohamed Salah (C) reacts during the Africa Cup of Nations (CAN) 2024 group B football match between Cape Verde and Egypt at the Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium in Abidjan on January 22, 2024. (Photo by FRANCK FIFE / AFP)
Egypt's forward #10 Mohamed Salah (C) reacts during the Africa Cup of Nations (CAN) 2024 group B football match between Cape Verde and Egypt at the Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium in Abidjan on January 22, 2024. (Photo by FRANCK FIFE / AFP)

Mohamed Salah has begun rehabilitation on his hamstring and said Thursday that he will do “everything possible” to rejoin Egypt at the Africa Cup of Nations.
Salah returned to Liverpool on Wednesday for treatment on the injury he sustained during Egypt’s 2-2 draw with Ghana a week ago.
“Yesterday I started the treatment and rehabilitation program and I will do everything possible to be ready as soon as possible and return to the national team as was agreed upon from the beginning,” Salah wrote his social media channels.
Salah, who was one of the most high-profile players at the Africa Cup, has what Liverpool assistant coach Pep Lijnders said was a “proper tear in his hamstring,” expected to keep the winger out for three to four weeks.
Salah will need to make a faster recovery to rejoin Egypt before the final on Feb. 11 – 2½ weeks away – while his match fitness would also have to be a concern for Egypt coach Rui Vitória.
Seven-time champion Egypt is yet to win a game at the tournament, but it edged into the last 16 with three points from three games. The Pharaohs next play on Sunday against Congo, another team that progressed to the knockout round without winning a game.



Too Many Games - Pique Joins Chorus of Discontent at Fixture List

Soccer Football - LaLiga - Osasuna v FC Barcelona - El Sadar Stadium, Pamplona, Spain - November 8, 2022 FC Barcelona's Gerard Pique during the warm up before the match REUTERS/Vincent West/File Photo
Soccer Football - LaLiga - Osasuna v FC Barcelona - El Sadar Stadium, Pamplona, Spain - November 8, 2022 FC Barcelona's Gerard Pique during the warm up before the match REUTERS/Vincent West/File Photo
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Too Many Games - Pique Joins Chorus of Discontent at Fixture List

Soccer Football - LaLiga - Osasuna v FC Barcelona - El Sadar Stadium, Pamplona, Spain - November 8, 2022 FC Barcelona's Gerard Pique during the warm up before the match REUTERS/Vincent West/File Photo
Soccer Football - LaLiga - Osasuna v FC Barcelona - El Sadar Stadium, Pamplona, Spain - November 8, 2022 FC Barcelona's Gerard Pique during the warm up before the match REUTERS/Vincent West/File Photo

Football's governing bodies should not introduce new competitions and top-flight leagues should reduce the number of teams they have to ease the fixture burden on players, former Barcelona and Spain defender Gerard Pique said on Wednesday.

Pique's comments came in the same week FIFPRO Europe, the European Leagues association and Spain's LaLiga filed a joint complaint about FIFA's international match schedule to European Union antitrust regulators, according to Reuters.

FIFA has introduced a new Club World Cup featuring 32 teams from next year and has enlarged the World Cup to 48 teams from 2026. UEFA also increased the number of matchdays in the Champions League from this season and introduced the Nations League in 2018.

Pique said it was the responsibility of all football organisations to find a solution.

"There are too many games, and we are seeing now players saying 'listen, we are getting injured. There are games every three days, we don't have time to rest in summer'," the 37-year-old told The Summit, part of Leaders Week London.

"I would suggest to reduce the games," he added when asked what he would do if he were in charge of global football. "Go to the leagues and say, 'listen, instead of 20 teams, why you don't do leagues of 16 teams...

"And at the same time, I would go to UEFA and say, 'why you create this Nations League, which is the new competition that is difficult to follow' and I will go to FIFA and say, 'okay, don't do this FIFA World Cup of clubs that you created now'...

"I understand that they want to generate more revenues, but for the sake of football, I think that it could be much better to have less games, more premium and more exclusive (experiences) and it will be much easier also to follow from the audience point of view, and for players it will be less games."

Pique, who retired in 2022, won nine LaLiga titles and three Champions League crowns at Barcelona and now owns a seven-a-side football-gaming-entertainment venture.