Salah fans slam ‘divine payback’ proponents

Fans of Egyptian football icon Mohammad Salah have bitterly lashed out at Egyptian and Kuwaiti religious figures who claimed that the Liverpool star’s injury was divine retribution.

The player, a practising Muslim, sustained a shoulder injury after he tangled with Real Madrid’s Sergio Ramos.

“God punished Mohammad Salah over his decision not to fast,” Kuwaiti cleric Mubarak Al Badhali told an Arabic newspaper before posting his view on his Twitter account.

In Cairo, Mohammad Jibril, a religious scholar, said that the injury was a divine punishment for Salah’s fans who skipped the Taraweeh (postevening prayers in Ramadan) to watch the match.

“The fans lost on two fronts: They did not enjoy the match and they did not reap spiritual rewards after they missed the prayers,” he posted on his Twitter account.

Celebrated Egyptian TV host Wael Al Ebrashi lashed out at Jibril. “Jibril’s tweet is a tragedy. It is as if God had punished Egyptians by depriving them of Mohammad Salah. This is a wrong understanding of Islam,” said Al Ebrashi on a private channel.

Jibril later removed his much-maligned tweet and said it was misunderstood. “I pray to Allah that captain Mohammad Salah will recover, protect him from any harm or evil, and that he will participate with the national team in the best form,” the cleric said in a new tweet.

Meanwhile on Twitter, Salah fans were quick to respond to Al Badhali’s claims.

“Who do you think you are? You cannot talk on behalf of God,” wrote Adam.

Mismar, another user, urged the scholar to do more to attract people to religion. “Our religion is far more compassionate than you depict it to be,” he said.