Mohamed Salah posted his first social media message late Thursday amid intense backlash over his decision to leave Egypt's squad at the Africa Cup of Nations to return to his club side Liverpool to rehabilitate an injury.
The Pharaohs forward picked up a hamstring problem during Egypt’s second group game against Ghana a week ago that ruled him out of Tuesday's 2-2 draw against Cape Verde.
Fans and pundits in Egypt have criticised Salah for not staying with the squad in Ivory Coast, questioning his loyalty to the national team and accusing him of prioritising club over country and abandoning his duties as Egypt’s captain.
“I started yesterday the rehabilitation programme and I will do everything I can to be ready as soon as possible and return to the national team, as was agreed upon from the start. Still love it [Egypt] and its people. Try harder,” wrote Salah on his social media, signing off with a ‘face with tongue’ emoji.
Salah’s post was made a day after Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp came to his defence amid the furore, describing him as “definitely the most loyal Egyptian I’ve met in my life”.
“I cannot be part of that discussion," Klopp told beIN Sports following the Reds’ 1-1 draw with Fulham that sealed their place in the Carabao Cup final on Wednesday.
"Egypt and Liverpool have exactly the same interest, we want Mo Salah, as quick as possible, fit”.
It was an attempt from Klopp to deescalate a storm he himself played a huge part in setting off when he spoke too soon and revealed to the world that Salah was Liverpool-bound to receive medical treatment before an official statement was made by the Egyptian Football Association.
Klopp said that Salah returning to Liverpool for treatment was the best option for all parties, adding that “if Egypt goes through to the final, it was always clear – if he's fit, Mo goes back. One-hunder per cent. Mo wants that, we want that”.
Unfortunately, those comments have come a little too late and Klopp’s decision to discuss Salah’s injury in a press conference two days before Egypt played a must-win final group-stage game against Cape Verde was ill-advised and careless.
The entire situation and how it’s been handled has been shambolic and while Klopp shouldn’t be held responsible for the outrage directed towards Salah from the Egyptian public, surely an experienced manager like him is aware how delicate of a matter this is, and he should have known he was giving ammunition to an emotional group of football fans who have previously questioned Salah’s commitment to the national team.
Klopp also didn’t do himself any favours when he semi-joked ahead of the Afcon that he “would be happy” if Egypt exited the tournament in the group stage so Salah would return to Liverpool sooner rather than later.
That didn’t sit well with many Egyptian fans who felt Klopp was belittling Africa’s premier tournament and its importance to Salah and the nation.
On the other hand, it must be said that the Egyptian public reaction to the events of the past seven days has been harsh and over the top.
Salah now finds himself in a bizarre situation; "The Egyptian King" as he is affectionately known, is considered a national hero, a revered philanthropist back home, yet is also now being dubbed a traitor by his own fans.
People want him to be a football legend and leader, who also speaks up on issues, stands up for women, wins trophies with the national team and breaks records at Liverpool. They laud him for having a different mentality that allowed him to perform internationally like no other Egyptian has ever performed but also criticise him for being different and say he is self-important with a superiority complex. He just can't win.
He has been involved in 86 goals – scored 54 and assisted 32 – in 96 appearances for Egypt but is somehow seen as an underperformer with the national team.
As is the case with any sporting great, too much is being asked of Salah, and us Egyptians tend to forget that he is only human.
We have never had a sports star as big or as professional as Salah on the global stage and it’s clear many people do not understand the considerations he has to take or the decisions he has to make on a daily basis.
We never know the full picture, which is very much the case in this Afcon injury debacle, yet are too quick to judge with minimal information at hand. We are so eager to put him on a pedestal and even more eager to knock him down.
A fan is entitled to react; to celebrate or criticise. Reactions are fuelled by emotions and many among the Egyptian public feel that team captain Salah has abandoned his ship. Those same people will likely sing his praises if he’s back later in the tournament and helps Egypt win their first Afcon since 2010.
The tides change at dizzying speeds and I wouldn’t blame Salah for suffering from whiplash.
Still, as he said in his social media post, his love for Egypt is unwavering. Guess the people will really have to “try harder” if they want his sentiments to change.
