By Abu Suhaib

11^th August 2025

Over the weekend, the mercurial Arab footballer, Suleiman Al-Ubeid, became the latest of over 400 sports stars murdered by the genocide state since the 8^th of October, 2023. Known as the ‘Palestinian Pele,’ Ubeid was a role model for many young football-crazy Palestinian children who saw the sport as a way of escaping the difficulties of living under the brutality of the Zionist occupation, which is decades-old now.

Mo Salah, one of the most recognisable Muslim athletes in the world, has faced scrutiny over his limited public statements regarding the situation in Gaza. Having scored a staggering 244 goals and 110 assists in 400 games for Liverpool, the Egyptian forward is considered to be one of the top three footballers in the world along with PSG winger Ousmane Dembele and Barcelona’s teenage prodigy, Lamine Yamal.

Salah’s previous statements on the conflict have been ambiguous at best and this had led to massive criticism from people all over the world especially his native Egypt. Over the weekend, the Liverpool forward tweeted on the issue more directly than previously, causing heavy waves across social media.

UEFA’s official X page stated: “Farewell to Suleiman Al-Ubeid, the ‘Palestinian Pele,’ to which Salah responded within minutes: “Can you tell us how he died, where, and why?”

While not referencing Israel directly, this is the furthest he has gone so far in commenting on the demonic genocide currently taking place in Gaza. His question hits at the identity of the perpetrators and attempts to force UEFA to face the reality: that one of their member states, Israel, is currently engaged in genocide. At the time of writing this piece, Salah’s neatly-worded rhetorical question has a staggering 1.4 million likes.

While only he knows his true motivations, there are several possible reasons why he may have been reluctant to speak out previously:

1. Club and Sponsorship Pressures

Salah plays for Liverpool FC and is tied to multiple global sponsorships, including Adidas and Vodafone. Liverpool have over 500 million supporters globally and the sponsors of the Anfield club operate in extremely diverse markets with conflicting political sensitivities. Speaking out strongly on Gaza could create backlash in certain countries or among partners, putting both his club relationships and commercial endorsements at risk. Salah would, most likely, be reprimanded by his own club and possibly fined. Athletes are often advised by PR teams to avoid divisive political issues for this reason.

However, it is rather ironic that UEFA themselves sanctioned pro-Ukraine banners at several high-profile matches throughout 2022, including club and international fixtures. This blatant and completely unforgiveable hypocrisy of UEFA (Union of European Football Federations) and FIFA (Federation of International Football Associations) has been duly noted by millions of anti-Zionist football fans.

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