According to media reports, the Liverpool
striker was angry at being singled out for special attention
during the team’s stay in the Muslim region where Russia had
fought two brutal and costly wars to crush separatists since the
collapse of the Soviet Union.
“He has not discussed this issue with any of the delegation’s
members. We are here at a sports event and we are following FIFA
procedures, we don’t discuss politics, and if there is any
political discussion, it should be directed to FIFA,” Egypt FA
spokesman Ossama Ismail said on Monday.
Kadyrov made the Egypt forward an honorary citizen of the
southern Russian region at a banquet held last week.
Chechnya has been hosting the Egyptian team’s World Cup training
camp and Kadyrov has seized on opportunities to appear alongside
Salah, whose goalscoring exploits for Liverpool and Egypt have
made him an international superstar.
“Mohamed Salah is an honorary citizen of the Chechen Republic.
Yes, that’s right! Tonight I signed a decree conferring this
high award on the great footballer and member of the Egypt and
Liverpool teams,” Kadyrov wrote on Telegram.
Salah was presented with a badge and a copy of the decree at the
dinner on Friday night, Kadyrov said.
Rights groups and Western governments allege that authorities in
Chechnya repress their political opponents, discriminate against
women and persecute sexual minorities, all allegations that
Chechnya’s leaders deny.
In an interview with the BBC last week, Kadyrov denied human
rights abuses and laughingly rejected the idea he was using the
presence of Salah for propaganda purposes.
“We don’t use this kind of thing for politics. Our enemies are
paid to write articles like that. I didn’t invite Mohamed Salah
or the Egyptian team, they chose us themselves,” he said.
Alvi Karimov, Kadyrov’s spokesman, told the Kommersant FM radio
station that reports of Salah’s alleged discontent were “an
unprincipled lie” and that Salah had been in excellent spirits
while in Chechnya.
Karimov said U.S. and British media were reporting such false
stories because they were unhappy that Russia’s hosting of the
World Cup and Chechnya’s hosting of the Egyptian team had been a
success.
Egypt were playing their last game at the World Cup against
Saudi Arabia in Volgograd on Monday. Both countries have already
been eliminated.
(Editing by Pritha Sarkar)
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