'Felt like humiliation' - Egypt reacts to Salah's Liverpool row

"What hits you most in Cairo, after the noise, is the sheer number of people. Egypt has a population of around 120 million. Its capital city is home to 23 million people. For context, the population of Liverpool is just under one million. Come to appreciate that and only then do you begin to understand the scale of national fury that followed when Mohamed Salah gave his incendiary interview on 6 December, claiming that Liverpool had "thrown him under the bus"."

"'This interview was like a revolution in Egypt,' says Diaa El-Sayed, the former Egypt assistant coach, who has known Salah since he was 16. 'Ninety-nine per cent of Egypt supports Salah, and you can see from the reaction at Anfield that the Liverpool fans support him too.' Across British media, Salah was criticised heavily for his actions. Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher branded the interview a 'disgrace' and accused the 33-year-old of throwing the club under the bus."

"'Before Salah, no-one supported Liverpool here,' says Noura Essam, a Cairo local. 'Before Salah, we didn't have a global figure, so we will always support him.' During the 2018 presidential election, more than one million Egyptians crossed out the names of the listed candidates and cast their vote for Salah. He is an unofficial leader. In these parts, he is known as the 'Fourth Pyramid'."

Cairo's population and Egypt's size create a vast audience for national events. Mohamed Salah's interview on 6 December, in which he said Liverpool had 'thrown him under the bus,' triggered widespread fury across the country. Many Egyptians rallied to Salah's defence; Diaa El-Sayed said 'ninety-nine per cent of Egypt supports Salah.' British media and former Liverpool players heavily criticised Salah, calling the interview a 'disgrace.' Salah enjoys near-universal adoration in Egypt, with supporters even writing his name on presidential ballots in 2018 and dubbing him the 'Fourth Pyramid.' Local fans expressed disbelief at his benching and reported that much of Egypt backed Inter Milan against Liverpool.

Read at www.bbc.com