Getty Images
Mohamed Salah.
- Mohamed Salah is reportedly considering quitting the Egypt national soccer team.
- This is allegedly because of a global fallout from a meeting he had with a Chechan warlord.
- Salah could feature in Egypt's upcoming World Cup match against Saudi Arabia on Monday - but there are fears the game could be Salah's last.
Mohamed Salah is reportedly considering quitting the Egypt national soccer team over global fallout from a meeting he had with a Chechen warlord, CNN reports.
Salah is regarded as one of the best soccer players on the planet. The 26-year-old returned 43 goals and 14 assists from 50 appearances in all competitions for Liverpool FC last season, and was a key player in the club's run to the 2017-2018 Champions League final.
The mechanics of a Russian-run 2018 World Cup delivered Salah, a hero to many, to Grozny - the doorstep of Ramzan Kadryov, a political leader whose government made apparent attempts to purge Chechnya of all gay people.
Before Egypt's first 2018 World Cup game, Kadryov used Salah to burnish his own image. He sent a henchman to rouse Salah from his sleep and take photographs in Grozny's soccer stadium - photographs that swiftly circulated around the world and received widespread condemnation.
Here's one of the photographs:
AP Images
Ramzan Kadyrov and Mohamed Salah.
The fallout has forced Salah to reconsider his status as an international soccer player, according to CNN.
A source reportedly told the broadcaster that Salah "feels exposed" what happened and "doesn't wish to engage in topics beyond football or to be used for anyone's political image."
However, according to an email sent to CNN, the Egypt national team reportedly disputes Salah's frustrations and claims "he has never discussed this issue" with the team.
Kadyrov has already made Salah "an honorary citizen of the Chechen Republic," so it is clear Salah has been used to raise Kadryov's profile.
While the player could feature in Egypt's next World Cup match on Monday, there are fears the game could be Salah's last for his country.