Egyptian Zamalek officials named Mohamed Salah, the Liverpool player and the Egyptian national team, on one of the gardens inside the White Castle, in a phenomenon that sparked widespread controversy on social networking sites in Egypt regarding the “Mo” affiliation.
Mohamed Salah El-Zamalkawi Garden
White Castle officials hung a banner on one of the Zamalek club’s gardens bearing the name of the Liverpool English Pavilion.
Mustafa Gouili, head of the Zamalek club’s media system, reveals, in exclusive statements to “Sky News Arabia”, the scenes of the step taken by the White Castle officials regarding Mohamed Salah, explaining, “Mohamed Salah is a pride for Egypt and the Arabs, and every institution has the right to honor this player who achieved what he did not achieve.” Egyptian player.
“The Zamalek club, headed by Counselor Mortada Mansour, has always been a race in such matters, and Mohamed Salah Zamalkawi” is “long life” and loves the Zamalek club, Jouili added.
And Jouili continues, “It is known about the Zamalek club that it is a race in honoring its sons from the stars who honored Egypt, such as Mohamed Salah, and is also the first club to give memberships to the army and police martyrs, as well as memberships for people of determination, and therefore Zamalek plays its usual role, as it is the National and Dignity Club.”
And the head of the media system in Zamalek club adds, “Honoring Mohamed Salah is a very natural thing. The player deserves this honor, as he is a living football legend, and he made a history of Egyptian football, and we are proud of him for what he achieved at the global level, as he is a pride for Egyptians and Arabs.”
Zamalek club officials had previously refused to include Mohamed Salah during his playing in the Egyptian League in 2011 in favor of the Arab Contractors Club, claiming that he was not technically fit to represent the White Castle.
In this regard, Mustafa Gouili responds to the possibility of honoring Mohamed Salah for this reason, “No, not to return the dignity of the player, Mohamed Salah, because he does not need this matter currently. Honoring the player is a recognition from Zamalek that he is a Zamalek player. Egypt has been honored globally as a football player among the best in the world.” “.
How did Zamalek receive the reactions about the “Salah banner”?
Regarding the reactions about the “Salah banner,” Jouili comments, “The Egyptians welcomed the decision of the Zamalek board of directors to name one of the parks in the club in the name of Mohamed Salah, as a great matter, as evidenced by the fact that many contacted Mortada Mansour, the club’s president, to thank him for this decision. In general, the reactions were positive. “.
And about the possibility of honoring Mohamed Salah or his father inside the Zamalek club, Mustafa Gouili concludes his speech by saying, “We are studying honoring Mohamed Salah within the Zamalek club, according to the player’s circumstances. All parties representing Mohamed Salah, but Zamalek Club welcomes Mohamed Salah and his father at any time.
Mohamed Salah .. Ahlawy or Zamalek?
The state of controversy that has recently spread through social networking sites in Egypt, regarding Mohamed Salah’s affiliation with one of the Al-Ahly or Zamalek clubs, is not new, as it began since the player’s brilliance in his first professional experience with the Swiss team Basel.
And the last stage of the controversy regarding Mohamed Salah’s affiliation was before the “Zamalek banner,” when Khaled Al-Ghandour, the former captain of the white team, wrote a post on Facebook, after Salah starred with Liverpool during the current season, “All that is Zamalek is beautiful, Mohamed Salah Al-Zamalkawi, the star of the world, is an Egyptian legend.” Arabic is difficult to repeat.
At the time, the former Zamalek player published a video clip of Mohamed Salah’s father, in which he revealed his son’s tendencies to encourage Zamalek by virtue of his affiliation with the Ismaili club, a club that Salah himself confirmed, during media statements, explicitly inclined to him.
Mohamed Salah’s inclinations
For his part, a surprise was revealed by Mohamed Al-Aqbawi, “Captain” and former colleague of Mohamed Salah in the “Arab Contractors” team; The club that highlighted the capabilities of the Liverpool winger before the beginning of his professional steps in Europe.
Al-Aqbawi said in an exclusive interview with “Sky News Arabia”, “Mohamed Salah’s reactions while following the matches of Zamalek and Al-Ahly during his time at the Arab Contractors Club were clear. It seems that he is inclined to encourage the Zamalek club, especially since his father is Zamalek.”
Al-Aqbawi continues, “It appears through many of Mohamed Salah’s meetings that he tends to encourage Zamalek in Egypt. It was clear to us during our time at the Arab Contractors Club that Mohamed Salah was Zamalek.”
And the former Arab Contractors goalkeeper continues, “I was the captain of the Arab Contractors team during the period of Mohamed Salah’s presence with us, and I always advised him to continue his commitment on and off the field, and my advice to him continued until the period of his professionalism in the Italian ranks of Rome, and I try to communicate with him in the coming period because the player always changes numbers his phone.”
In this regard, Abdel Hamid Farraj, sports critic for Sky News Arabia, commented, “Dealing with Mohamed Salah on the grounds that he is a Zamalek or Ahlawy player is crazy and not logical. Ronaldo and Messi, and it is unreasonable to attribute to the player the character of belonging to one of the poles.”
And regarding the Zamalek club’s step in honoring Mohamed Salah, Faraj continues, “A very commendable step, considering Mohamed Salah a player who achieves achievements for Egyptian sports in general, and it is logical that the Ministry of Sports, the Football Association and all clubs honor a player who has become a role model for all juniors in all Egyptian clubs, not only Al-Ahly and Zamalek.”
Rehabilitation
And he continues, “The idea circulating about honoring Mohamed Salah from Zamalek Club as a kind of rehabilitation because the club refused to include him at one stage also I see it as an unacceptable idea, this player numbers talking about him, the player’s career has greatly exceeded the Egyptian, Arab and African clubs completely, so he is no longer of Salah’s ambition He should be honored by any Egyptian institution, and we must treat him as a global player, not a local one.”
And regarding Mohamed Salah’s affiliation with one of the two poles, Al-Ahly and Zamalek, “This matter concerns the player. Some close to Mohamed Salah confirmed the player’s affiliation with the Zamalek club, and his father himself stated that he tends to the Ismaili club, and it is known that most Ismaili fans tend to the White Club.”
The sports critic concludes his statements by saying, “People’s affiliation, no matter how much their achievements are, does not add to the entity, but the entity is the one who adds to the people, whether Mohamed Salah’s affiliation with Zamalek or Al-Ahly, this matter will not add to the poles. Those clubs are the best in Africa, and Al-Ahly and Zamalek add value to all players belonging to them.”
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