LONDON: Egyptian hero Mohamed Salah is reported to be on the bring of quitting the Egyptian national team due to his “unhappiness” over proceedings in Chechnya, where the team had been based during the World Cup at Russia 2018, a source close to the Liverpool forward has told CNN.
In the previous season, Salah has become an international star — ranked alongside the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Neymar — due to his goalscoring feats for club and country.
The Egyptian’s goals dragged Liverpool to last season’s Champions League final against Real Madrid.
Salah received an injury in that game and subsequently missed Egypt’s opening World Cup match against Uruguay, which the Pharaohs lost 1-0 in the last minute. He had to settle for a consolation goal in Egypt’s 3-1 defeat to the hosts Russia.
That result sent Egypt home.
But as he struggled for fitness, a picture of Salah walking beside Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov has since became a major talking point at the World Cup. And according to CCN, the Egyptian football media team was not immediately available for comment.
Kadyrov, leader of Chechnya since 2004, has stifled all dissent in the country, subduing the separatist movement that fought the Russian army for nearly two decades.
Subsequently Kadyrov made Salah an honorary citizen of the Chechen Republic.
“Mohamed Salah is an honorary citizen of the Chechen Republic,” the Chechen leader wrote in a social media post.
“I gave Mohamed Salah a copy of the order and a pin at a celebratory dinner that I gave in honor of the Egyptian team.”
A Russian state-funded news agency RT video shows Salah smiling as Kadyrov gives his speech and pins a badge bearing the Chechen flag to the Egyptian international’s shirt.
Salah feels exposed by what has happened in Chechnya, the source told CNN. The Liverpool star doesn’t wish to engage in topics beyond football or to be used for anyone’s political image.
Osama Ismail, an EFA spokesman who is with the team in Russia, implied that the CNN report was not credible. Neither Salah nor his agent commented on the report, which went viral in the football-mad country.
"Salah hasn't informed the Egyptian delegation of anything CNN had talked about. No comments should be taken from Salah except what is written on his official Twitter account," he said on Twitter.