The Egypt football federation has said that Mohamed Salah is training well and has no desire to leave the World Cup despite reports claiming that the forward is considering retiring from international football after being used as a political symbol while the squad were based in Chechnya.
The Associated Press reported that Salah was angry about a team banquet hosted by the Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, who used the dinner to grant Salah “honorary citizenship”. The reports were based on a conversation with two people close to the player, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the subject.
The Egyptian football federation spokesman Osama Ismail said that Salah had not complained to the federation. “Only what Salah writes on his Twitter account should be counted on,” he said. The federation said in a later statement reported by the BBC: “Reports that Salah wants to leave are completely wrong. Mo is still with us now and he is happy in the camp. He is eating and laughing with his teammates. He is training well and that means no problem.”
Chechnya, a predominantly Muslim region in southern Russia, was devastated by wars between separatists and Russian forces. Kadyrov, a former rebel who switched his loyalties to Moscow, faces accusations of gross human rights violations, including abductions, killings and a widely reported anti-gay pogrom, which he has denied.
Salah, who also took part in a photo opportunity with Kadyrov, has been criticised for allowing the Chechen leader to use him to improve the government’s international image. The Liverpool player has not responded publicly.
If Salah were to quit the national team, it would be a major embarrassment to the federation and the government, which decided to base the team in Grozny. A populace that sees Salah as a hero would likely be furious, with the blame going to a government facing growing popular discontent over its decision to hike the price of fuel, drinking water and electricity.
Human Rights Watch and other groups tried to persuade Fifa to drop Grozny from the list of possible team bases.
Egypt complete their World Cup games against Saudi Arabia on Monday.