Salah, Chechen leader episode sparks uproar
GROZNY (Russia): Mohamed Salah was in his hotel room in Grozny when he was informed an important guest was waiting for him in the lobby.
When the Egypt star forward went down, he found Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov.
The Moscow-backed former rebel had a favour to ask of Salah: could he accompany him for the short drive to the stadium where the rest of Egypt’s World Cup squad was training and several thousand local fans were in attendance?
Salah obliged, and the two showed up at the stadium to a standing ovation and cheers.
The Sunday evening episode sparked uproar on social media given the poor human rights record of the leader of Chechnya, and what was perceived as Kadyrov’s use of Salah to score a public relations boon.
“This is Kadyrov trying to capitalise on Chechnya being a team base to boost his own pro- file… it was 100% predictable,” said Rachel Denber, the Human Rights Watch deputy director for Europe and central Asia.
Kadyrov has been the dominant figure in Chechnya since the 2004 assassination of his father, President Akhmad Kadyrov. He has enforced strict Islamic rules in Chechnya.
Recently, Kadyrov came under pressure when reports surfaced of a crackdown on gays in his region. He insists, however, there are no gay people in the region.
Social media critics of the meeting said Salah was morally obliged to issue a statement on human rights in Chechnya. Others said Salah might have had no choice but to humour Kadyrov.
The Egyptian government shows zero tolerance for political Islam and has for years been fighting an insurgency led by Islamic militants and centered in the Sinai Peninsula. So the government and football officials should have known better when they allowed Egypt to make Grozny its World Cup base.
Eihab Leheita, the squad’s executive director, said yesterday he had “no regrets whatsoever” about the choice of Grozny as a base for the all-Muslim squad. But he brushed off a question about the Salah and Kadyrov encounter. He said: “Ask Fifa for a comment.” – Associated Press/ African News Agency (ANA)