Egyptians brace for Salah-mania

My children put so much pressure on me to book the tickets because they are obsessed with Salah. They will be very happy to see him on the field.

LIVERPOOL star Mohamed Salah is regarded as an icon in his country, Egypt. AFP

DOHA, Qatar (AFP) — Qatar’s large Egyptian community is clamoring to welcome their country’s “icon” in Mohamed Salah when he comes to the Gulf this week as Liverpool kick off its Club World Cup campaign.

But a regional diplomatic crisis has frustrated travel plans for fans based in Egypt and complicated the desire of expats in Doha to celebrate their country’s best-known player.

According to official statistics, the Egyptian diaspora in Qatar number around 300,000 out of a total population of 2.75 million.

For many years, Qatari authorities sought out skilled Egyptian migrants to staff a range of sectors from oil and gas to teaching and the health system.

But an economic and travel embargo on Qatar by a Saudi-led coalition that includes Cairo has cooled Doha’s enthusiasm for mass migration from Egypt.

The two-year-long effort to isolate Qatar stems from accusations that Doha backs radical Islamists and has sought closer ties with Saudi Arabia’s archrival Iran.

Egypt and Saudi, along with Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, closed their airspace to Qatar Airways and banned travel to the country, putting their citizens in Qatar in a difficult position.

Large numbers of Egyptians gathered in the Souq Waqif tourist bazaar to watch Liverpool’s 5-2 trouncing of Everton in this month’s Merseyside derby.

In a market cafe, other Salah fans called the 27-year-old Arab soccer talisman “an icon for many.”

On Wednesday, they will have a chance to watch Salah in the flesh when the Reds face Mexico’s Monterrey in their semi-final at the 40,000-capacity Khalifa International Stadium.

Egyptian Mustafa Abdel Moneim told AFP he “got four tickets to the semifinals, because I expect Liverpool to win and I know that there will be a lot of pressure from Arabs and Egyptians on the team’s first game.”

“My children put so much pressure on me to book the tickets because they are obsessed with Salah. They will be very happy to see him on the field.”

British newspapers reported that Liverpool have received assurances from Qatar, which will host the 2022 World Cup, that Salah’s visit to the Gulf monarchy will not be politicized.