Basel striker Mohamed Salah (Photo: Reuters)
Egypt and Basel striker Mohamed Salah still has not determined whether he will travel with his Swiss team to face Maccabi Tel-Aviv in Israel next month.
Basel was recently drawn to play against the Israeli outfit in the third qualifying round of the elite European Champions League.
The first leg will be played in Switzerland on 30 or 31 July. The return leg will be played in Israel on 6 or 7 August.
Salah and compatriot midfielder Mohamed El-Neny are supposed to be available for the confrontation.
Playing in Israel has long been a contentious issue in Egyptian football, with many arguing that it amounts to "normalising" ties with Israel.
Recent reports claimed that Salah, who played a key role in helping Basel retain their Swiss league title last season, rejected the idea of playing in Israel, which seems untrue until now.
"I don't know yet," Salah said when he was asked by Swiss newspaper Blick if he will be available for the Israeli trip or not.
"I have never said that I will not play. But that the situation is difficult," he added.
A peace treaty between Egypt and Israel has been in place since 1979, but it did little to dispel public anger over Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories.
(For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports)
Short link: