Mohamed Salah’s decision to leave the Africa Cup of Nations in the Ivory Coast to undergo treatment on his hamstring injury in the UK has kicked off a storm back in Egypt.
Fans and media commentators back home have questioned their captain's commitment to the Pharaohs’ Afcon campaign and his failure to stay with the squad ahead of the knockout stages.
The Liverpool forward has long been the darling of Egypt’s football fans, revered for his goalscoring skills and admired for giving back to his home country and the Nile Delta village from which he hails.
“Does it really work for the commander and captain to abandon his men and soldiers?” wrote Ahmed Mostafa, a widely read amateur football critic, on Facebook. “If we lose now, then he will have had nothing to do with it. If we win, he will come back for the semi-finals or the final and reap the labour of others.
“A dishonourable position that I fail to understand.”
“Frankly, Salah and the management have handled the situation in a way that could end the love fans feel for the squad,” predicted football commentator Mahmoud Elmakhbazy.
Former Egypt captain Ahmed Hassan told the UK's Daily Mirror newspaper that Salah should be staying with the Egypt squad “no matter what, even if he only had one leg to stand on”.
Even back in 2021, there were some who questioned the wisdom of Salah being given the captain's armband, the suggestion being there are others in the squad more suited to the role.
Egypt's Mohamed Salah receives medical treatment during the Africa Cup of Nations Group B match against Ghana in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, Thursday, January 18, 2024. AP
Egypt's Mohamed Salah suffered the injury setback just before half time and received lengthy medical treatment. AP
Mohamed Salah of Egypt signaled to the bench he was unable to continue. AP
Egypt's Mohamed Salah, left, leaves the field. AP
Egypt's Mohamed Salah prepares to take a corner. AFP
Egypt's forward #10 Mohamed Salah reacts during the Africa Cup of Nations (CAN) 2024 group B football match between Egypt and Ghana at the Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium in Abidjan on January 18, 2024. (Photo by Issouf SANOGO / AFP)
Egypt were held to a 2-2 draw by Ghana. AFP
Mohamed Salah speaks with Gabonese referee Pierre Atcho. AFP
Egypt's Mohamed Salah fights for the ball with Ghana's Gideon Mensah and Jordan Ayew, right. AFP
Egypt's Mohamed Salah up against Ghana's Gideon Mensah. AFP
And those questions are resurfacing after the confusion over when Salah's trip back to the UK should be announced.
Salah’s agent, Ramy Abbas Issa, posted on social media on Monday, just before the Pharaohs' crucial final group match against Cape Verde, that he could be sidelined for longer than the original 10-14-day prognosis.
“We didn't want to alarm anyone. I didn't think it was right for Liverpool, via any intermediary, to speak about this, because we had a tremendously important game,” said Egypt manager Rui Vitoria after the game.
This only added to the debate over whether Salah should be leaving the squad at all. “He has no leadership qualities,” declared prominent football commentator Sabry Sirag. “But he insisted on taking the captain’s armband and it’s evident now that he’s not capable of shouldering the responsibilities that go with it.”
Egypt's poor form at Afcon so far – the Pharaohs reached the last 16 but finished second in Group B behind Cape Verde after three consecutive 2-2 draws – has only added to the angst against Salah and the team.
The record seven-time African champions have not won an Afcon title for 14 years and have been beaten in two of the last three finals.
But Salah – who has lifted the Fifa Club World Cup, Uefa Super Cup, Uefa Champions League, Premier League, FA Cup and League Cup during his seven-year spell with Liverpool – insisted that his determination to help Egypt win a major trophy remains as strong as ever.
“I have won everything possible but not this one yet,” Salah said Sunday when asked about Egypt's title drought. “It will happen somehow, that is what I believe, and whatever I believe I achieve, so sooner or later it will happen.
“Everybody knows what it means to any player to win an Africa Cup.”
And there are some who have come out in defence of Salah insisting he is always made a scapegoat for the team's struggles. Hassan El Mistikawi, arguably Egypt’s top football commentator, said: “From the viewpoint of his critics, he’s to blame every time the squad stumbles.
“Salah is the best player in the history of Egyptian football … the most talented among Egypt’s professionals and one of the world’s top 10 players, and I will not be exaggerating if I say he is one of the world’s best five players,” adding a sentiment that is probably shared by every football fan in Egypt: “Salah, get well!”
Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Cultural fiesta
What: The Al Burda Festival
When: November 14 (from 10am)
Where: Warehouse421, Abu Dhabi
The Al Burda Festival is a celebration of Islamic art and culture, featuring talks, performances and exhibitions. Organised by the Ministry of Culture and Knowledge Development, this one-day event opens with a session on the future of Islamic art. With this in mind, it is followed by a number of workshops and “masterclass” sessions in everything from calligraphy and typography to geometry and the origins of Islamic design. There will also be discussions on subjects including ‘Who is the Audience for Islamic Art?’ and ‘New Markets for Islamic Design.’ A live performance from Kuwaiti guitarist Yousif Yaseen should be one of the highlights of the day.
Essentials
The flights Emirates and Etihad fly direct from the UAE to Los Angeles, from Dh4,975 return, including taxes. The flight time is 16 hours. Alaska Airlines, United Airlines,Delta Air Lines, Aeromexico and Southwest all fly direct from Los Angeles to San Jose del Cabo from Dh1,243 return, including taxes. The flight time is two-and-a-half hours.
The trip Lindblad Expeditions National Geographic’s eight-day Whales Wilderness itinerary costs from US$6,190 (Dh22,736) per person, twin share, including meals, accommodation and excursions, with departures in March and April 2018.
Favourite vegetable: “I really like the taste of the beetroot, the potatoes and the eggplant we are producing.”
Holiday destination: “I like Paris very much, it’s a city very close to my heart.”
Book: “Das Kapital, by Karl Marx. I am not a communist, but there are a lot of lessons for the capitalist system, if you let it get out of control, and humanity.”
Musician: “I like very much Fairuz, the Lebanese singer, and the other is Umm Kulthum. Fairuz is for listening to in the morning, Umm Kulthum for the night.”
It Was Just an Accident
Director: Jafar Panahi
Stars: Vahid Mobasseri, Mariam Afshari, Ebrahim Azizi, Hadis Pakbaten, Majid Panahi, Mohamad Ali Elyasmehr
Rating: 4/5
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah 5.10pm: Continous 5.45pm: Raging Torrent 6.20pm: West Acre 7pm: Flood Zone 7.40pm: Straight No Chaser 8.15pm: Romantic Warrior 8.50pm: Calandogan 9.30pm: Forever Young
The biog
Favourite books: 'Ruth Bader Ginsburg: A Life' by Jane D. Mathews and ‘The Moment of Lift’ by Melinda Gates
Favourite travel destination: Greece, a blend of ancient history and captivating nature. It always has given me a sense of joy, endless possibilities, positive energy and wonderful people that make you feel at home.
Favourite pastime: travelling and experiencing different cultures across the globe.
Favourite quote: “In the future, there will be no female leaders. There will just be leaders” - Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook.
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
Essentials
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly direct from the UAE to Geneva from Dh2,845 return, including taxes. The flight takes 6 hours.
The package
Clinique La Prairie offers a variety of programmes. A six-night Master Detox costs from 14,900 Swiss francs (Dh57,655), including all food, accommodation and a set schedule of medical consultations and spa treatments.
