Mohamed Salah
Mohamed Salah is considering his international future with Egypt because of his unhappiness at being drawn into a political row during his stay in Chechnya with his national team at the World Cup, a source has confirmed to ESPN FC.
CNN reported yesterday that the Liverpool forward was deciding whether to return to the Egypt team after the World Cup.
Before the tournament began, Salah was pictured alongside Ramzan Kadyrov, the leader of the Chechen Republic, at Egypt’s base in Grozny.
Kadyrov declared Salah to be an honorary citizen of Chechnya in a ceremony with the player.
“Mohamed Salah is an honorary citizen of the Chechen Republic! That’s right!” Kadyrov 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 honour of the Egyptian team.”
Kadyrov, leader of Chechnya since 2004, is a controversial figure on the global stage because of the hard-line rule over his people and a series of contentious comments, particularly against the gay community.
CNN reported that Salah was uncomfortable with the criticism that followed the photo and is unwilling to be used as a political pawn.
A source with knowledge of Salah’s position on the matter confirmed this stance to be correct to ESPN FC, adding that the player is now considering his future with his national team.