Haytham Hassan rested for Egypt’s friendly against South Africa

The Egypt Football Association has confirmed that Celtic winger Haytham Hassan will be rested for Egypt’s friendly against South Africa on Sunday.

South Africa will visit Egypt for the match, which is scheduled to kick off at 21:00 at Cairo International Stadium. Hassan’s absence has been agreed with the Egypt national team’s medical staff, according to the association’s media centre.

Hassan has made eight appearances for Egypt, providing one assist and scoring no goals.

The Celtic player featured for 53 minutes in Egypt’s 5-0 win over South Sudan in the second round of qualifying for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations. Egypt returned from South Sudan with all three points after a convincing victory.

The Pharaohs scored five times in the match. Omar Marmoush netted twice, while Mostafa Abdel Raouf “Zico”, Ibrahim Adel and Hamza Abdel Karim scored once each.

The result moved Egypt’s total to four points in their group.

Egypt’s emphatic victory over South Sudan also brought several records for the national team, although Hassan will not be involved when they continue their preparations against South Africa.