Mohamed Salah: Victim or Culprit?

Written by Dr. Hamada Alantably

Yesterday, the Egyptian national team was eliminated from the 2022 Qatar World Cup qualifiers following a defeat against its Senegalese counterpart in the decisive round via penalty shootouts. Mohamed Salah, Zizo, and Mostafa Mohamed missed their penalties, which sealed the Egyptian team’s loss. Since then, accusations have been pouring in against Mohamed Salah, and the pride of Egypt and the Arab world—whom everyone used to praise—is now under fire from all directions. This brings to my attention the “extremism” in how we handle things, carrying an extreme disposition in everything, whether in joy or sorrow.

It is in the nature of Egyptians to exaggerate both joy and sorrow, leading to over-the-top reactions. This leaves us incapable of knowing the true reason behind any achievement or failure. The one who was carried on shoulders yesterday is today placed in the dock. What happened in the match is not the root cause; it is merely the symptom. If you want genuine reform, you must treat the disease, not just the symptom. The ailment of Egyptian football is known to everyone near and far: we lack proper football management, the entire system is run by nepotism, and what truly controls it are player agents, conflicts of interest, and chasing internet trends.

Treating this will not come from flogging Mohamed Salah or any other player. Excellence or failure in a match can be attributed to many reasons, including a player simply having an off day, or the various events that took place on the pitch. Mohamed Salah will remain an Egyptian icon and a milestone in the history of Egyptian sports—not just football. He will also remain an embodiment of an ambitious Egyptian youth who set a goal before his eyes and worked hard to achieve it, much like all successful Egyptian youth across every field.

I urge everyone to deal with situations rationally and put an end to extremism. Let us not be the reason for destroying a successful young man, or act as the knife with which his enemies slaughter him, lest we end up like the bear that killed its owner out of misguided affection. Set things right, may God have mercy upon you.

By Dr. Hamada Alantably