Egypt have admitted they will not call up Mohamed Salah for the Olympics next summer unless his club Liverpool give them permission to do so.
The Reds endured a frustrating international break highlighted by their key forward testing positive for coronavirus which has ruled him out of their key clash with Premier League leaders Leicester City on Sunday.
Following the ordeal Egypt's Under 23 manager Shawky Gharib, who will take charge of the Olympic team in Tokyo, admitted that the timing of the Olympics just days before the start of the 2021-22 Premier League season and a few months before the Africa Cup of Nations in January meant the issue over his participation was in Liverpool's hands.