MP demands session to discuss Mo Salah's crisis with EFA

CAIRO – 29 August, 2018: A memo requesting a parliamentary session to discuss Liverpool’s star Mohamed Salah’s crisis with the Egyptian Federation Association (EFA) is being drafted to be presented to Speaker Ali Abdel Aal, a lawmaker said Wednesday.

“The whole world cares about Egyptian international player Mohammad Salah, while we try to offend him. Is that reasonable?” said member of the Youth and Sports Committee of the parliament, Tarek Metwally.

“No other country in the world has these successive crises except for Egypt. We must examine the reasons why Egypt fell second to last place in the World Cup,” Metwally added.

Salah took to Facebook in viral videos Monday to voice discontent with what he called “the EFA’s negligence in dealing with his demand after the EFA ignored his letters and leaked them.



Abbas has also hinted at a possible list of demands for the EFA on Sunday through Twitter, the lawyer accused the EFA of showing no response to his requests.

We asked for guarantees regarding Mohamed’s wellbeing whilst with the national team, and assurances that the image rights violations wouldn’t happen again. That’s all. They have yet to respond.

— Ramy Abbas Issa (@RamyCol) August 26, 2018

Meanwhile, the lawyer of the association filed a Wednesday report to the Attorney-General claiming that there are fake social media accounts in the name of Abo Rida, and members of the EFA board Magdy Abdel Ghany, Karam Kurdi and Khaled Latif, and that those accounts have tweeted untrue statements that stir the public opinion. Such accounts have posted tweets that attack Salah.

There are hardly any supporters for the EFA in the crisis, as the majority of Egyptians take sides with Salah and the majority of athletes have remained silent. Footballers who have spoken, such as veteran director of al-Masry Club, Hossam Hassan, and goalkeeper of the national team and Al-Ahly Club, Sherif Ikramy, said they back Salah.

On Aug. 23, Abbas sent an email to the President of the EFA, Hany Abo Rida, asking him to meet seven demands or Abbas – as Salah’s lawyer – will call for the immediate resignation of the EFA board.