Egyptian and Arab social networks erupted in anger over an image posted by a verified account of the Benin national team, targeting the captain of the Egypt national team and Liverpool's star Mohamed Salah. It showed him in a humiliating light ahead of the teams' match in the Africa Cup of Nations round of 16 on Monday (8:00 PM UAE time).
The image contained an unwarranted insult, depicting Mohamed Salah on the ground being flogged by a Benin player in a provocative scene that does not align with sportsmanship or the history of a player considered one of the world's biggest football stars.
Angry Egyptian fans called on Mohamed Salah and his teammates to respond on the field with a strong performance and a victory to advance to the quarter-finals of the African tournament, which would be the best way to handle the incident.
What is the truth about the image? It was later revealed that the image did not come from the official account of the Benin Football Federation, but from one of the fan accounts supporting the Benin team.