Egypt’s management team has addressed concerns over Mohamed Salah’s safety following a pitch invasion during Egypt’s World Cup qualifying game against Sierra Leone.
Fortunately, the Liverpool star emerged unharmed, as security prevented the intruders from reaching him. The Pharaohs secured a 2-0 victory, with Trezeguet scoring both goals.
The military escorted Salah off the field.
A day later, the Egyptian team management assured fans and Liverpool that the incident was not serious.
They explained that the pitch invaders were passionate Premier League followers and emphasised that many people in Sierra Leone are fans of Liverpool or Arsenal. Seeing Salah and Mohamed Elneny play in their home country was considered a rare and exciting experience for them.
Speaking to The Athletic, the team manager for the Egypt national team, Mohamed Ghoraba said: “The story of it being an assault is not there at all. Here, the people are very kind and they support Liverpool or Arsenal.
“For them, Mohamed Salah and Mohamed Elneny are icons, so their presence in the country is something they wish to happen again. For them, that’s the only opportunity to have Salah play in their ground, so it’s normal like any fan enter the pitch.”
The Liverpool star is in excellent form this season, scoring 10 goals and providing four assists in 12 Premier League appearances.
He is currently only three goals behind Manchester City’s prolific scorer Erling Haaland in the race for the Golden Boot. The 31-year-old will be back in action against Manchester City in the league on Saturday.