Mohamed Salah Unavailable for Three Weeks, Going to Russia

Rabat – Mohamed Salah may miss Egypt’s first World Cup game. Injured in the final of the Champions League May 26, Egyptian international football player Mohamed Salah may not be available for three weeks, according to the Egyptian football association (EFA).

But Salah’s fans can rest assured that the Liverpool right winger will not miss more than the first game of the 2018 World Cup in Russia, if that. “Salah will be at the World Cup and will not be absent for more than three weeks,” EFA tweeted yesterday. The competition begins June 14, and Egypt’s first game falls on June 15, exactly 21 days after Salah’s injury May 26.

EFA President Hani Abo Rida and the association’s doctor met Salah in Spain on Wednesday. The striker of the Reds was there to receive a medical examination.

After the meeting, the news of his three-week unavailability was confirmed. Salah wanted to reassure his fans by himself. “Despite the odds, I am confident that I will be in Russia to make you all proud,” he wrote on Sunday.

On Saturday, the football star was sent off the field with a dislocated shoulder he received from Real Madrid’s captain, Sergio Ramos, in the first half of the Champions League final.

French sports news outlet L’Equipe went as far as to say the Spanish player committed several “highly controversial actions in the final between Real and Liverpool.” Ramos has been castigated by Egyptian football fans and Liverpool followers.

Football fans have launched a petition on Change.org, urging FIFA and the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) to punish Ramos for forcing Salah out of the Champions League final and nearly removing him from the 2018 World Cup.

When the global competition begins, Egypt will face Uruguay on June 15, followed by Russia on June 19, and Saudi Arabia on June 25.