Salah criticises UEFA for ‘Palestinian Pele’ tribute

AFP, London:

Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah has criticised Europe’s football governing body UEFA for posting a tribute to “Palestinian Pele” Suleiman al-Obeid that did not mention the former international died after being hit by Israeli gunfire in the Gaza Strip.

Obeid, 41, was killed on Wednesday when Israeli forces “targeted people waiting for humanitarian aid in the southern Gaza Strip”, the Palestinian Football Association (PFA) said in a statement.

Europe’s football governing body UEFA posted on X: “Farewell to Suleiman al-Obeid, the ‘Palestinian Pele’. A talent who gave hope to countless children, even in the darkest of times.”
Egyptian striker Salah responded by posting: “Can you tell us how he died, where, and why?”
Born in Gaza City, Obeid was married and had five children. He played 24 international matches for team Palestine.

In October 2023, Salah called on “world leaders to come together” to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza to “prevent further slaughter of innocent souls”.

Since the start of the Gaza war, triggered by Palestinian militant group Hamas’s October 2023 attack on Israel, 662 people from the sport and scouting sector have been killed, including 321 in the football community, according to the PFA.

Salah, who was the Premier League top scorer last season, is due to line up for Liverpool on Sunday in the Community Shield at Wembley against Crystal Palace, the traditional curtain-raiser to the English football season.