Mohamed Salah says Egyptian teammate Amr Warda ‘should not be sent to the guillotine’ after accusations of sexual harassment
The Liverpool star condemned Warda’s actions but insists people who’ve made mistakes can change
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Mohamed Salah has condemned his Egyptian teammate, Amr Warda, who was expelled from the country’s African Cup of Nations after being accused of sexual harassment, stating that “no means no”, but added that “people who have made mistakes can change” and ”shouldn’t be sent straight to the guillotine”.
Warda has been accused of sexual harassment over social media, with Merhan Keller, a British-Egyptian model, sharing screenshots sent over WhatsApp allegedly showing a string of lewd, inappropriate and occasionally aggressive messages sent by the footballer.
Keller also shared images allegedly sent by Warda to other women who have been the victims of similar forms of harassment by the 25-year-old.
“The head of the Egyptian Football Federation, Hani Abu Reda, has decided to dismiss Amr Warda from the team’s camp after consulting with the team’s technical and administrative staff, in order to maintain the state of discipline, commitment and concentration,” a statement released by the Egyptian Football Association read soon after the accusations were made.
Warda was sent home before Egypt’s group game against Congo, which they won 2-0 to advance to the knockout stages, and after the game, Salah took to Twitter to address the issue.
“Women must be treated with the utmost respect,” Salah wrote.
“No means no. Those things are and must remain sacred. I also believe that many who make mistakes can change for the better and shouldn’t be sent straight to the guillotine, which is the easiest way out.
“We need to believe in second chances... we need to guide and educate. Shunning is not the answer.”
It’s not the first time Warda has been accused of misconduct. In 2017, during a loan spell with Portuguese side Feirense, he was accused of harassing two of his teammates’ wives – Warda strongly denies the allegation.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments