Mohamed Salah

As if the controversial train of the Egyptian footballer Mohamed Salah wasn’t already full, the internet strikes again with another criticism wave directed at the Liverpool forward.

What Happened?

During the international break, Salah flew to Dubai to shoot a new Adidas Originals commercial and attend a press conference.

In the process, he visited the Adidas store at the Mall of Dubai, where he met and greeted many fans and signed pictures, t-shirts and soccer balls.

Among the people or the ‘fans‘ who came to meet Salah were the likes of Hadia Ghaleb and Lebanese actress Jessy Abdo. And to say that alone sparked controversy is an understatement.

Salah was also photographed being hugged by another female fan, and needless to say, social media did not let this slip without propaganda.

The Lebanese actress was a trend on Google and Twitter for a whole day. She also made an on-air phone call with TV host Amr Adib on the March 24th episode of MBC Masr’s El Hekaya.

Abdo told Adib that she was just as surprised as we all were that social media went insane over her picture with Mohamed Salah.

It’s worth mentioning that the photo, as well as the mini video she shot on her Instagram story with the player, went viral.

Why Did She Have to Justify a ‘Fan Photo’?

Problem is that the photo of the Lebanese actress got mixed up with that of the fan who hugged the player. Which is why, well at least, part of the reason why social media raised red flags.

During the phone call, it was like Abdo was trying to defend herself. She even had to tell the whole story of how they met for a duration that did not exceed 5 minutes.

She even said that the footballer knew who she was from last Ramadan’s Egyptian TV series “Sok 3ala Banatak” that featured Ali Rabie. And that he was a supporter and a fan of the series, considering that he was posting about it online at the time.

It was honestly quite embarrassing that the actress had to say: “I was not the girl who hugged Mohamed Salah; our looks and outfits were not even similar.

Such a frustrating thing that she had to justify her actions and defend herself to social media just because they attacked something that’s completely none of their business.

With that being said, it was not long until the whole picture was cleared up by itself since people noticed the difference between both photos.

But then…Another ‘Problem’ began:

And it’s the internet’s usual frustration at the player’s smallest actions. One time they say he’s arrogant, another time they criticize his ‘form‘ and another, they say he’s insensitive.

Well, while everybody is definitely entitled to their own opinion, why is everybody acting as he had just cheated on them with the girl in the picture?

Salah’s now an international superstar, and those people are usually widely popular all over the world. Being hugged by a ‘fan’ or even an actress, for this matter, is none of our business.

We do not have the right to get upset or criticize the guy. It’s his life choices, and it’s not a taboo, by the way. Society’s barriers are just making it look like that.

If it were someone else, the reactions wouldn’t have been the same.

And if you’re not convinced then think for a bit and put yourself in his shoes. Whether you’re a man or a woman – and specifically a man in this case – let’s be realistic, would you push the woman off? The answer is no and if you say otherwise, you’re simply lying.

All we’re saying is, we all need to chill!