Sawt Falasteen - Egypt switches off Liverpool after Salah fallout

Salah, one of the world's greatest football stars, delivered an unusually sharp rebuke of manager Arne Slot after he was left on the bench for three consecutive games.

Adored by fans as the "Egyptian king", Salah told reporters he had been "thrown under the bus" by the club he has called home for seven-and-a-half years.

The outburst divided Liverpool fans worldwide -- but in the Cairo cafe, people knew what side they were on, and Tuesday's Champions League clash with Inter Milan went unnoticed.

"We're upset, of course," said Adel Samy, 40, a longtime Salah fan, who remembers the cafe overflowing with fans whenever he was playing.

On Tuesday evening, only a handful of customers sat at rickety tables -- some hunched over their phones, others shuffling cards, barely glancing at the screen.

"He doesn't deserve what's happening," Samy told AFP.

Islam Hosny, 36, who helps run the family cafe, said the street outside used to be packed with "people standing on their feet more than those who sat on chairs" whenever Salah played.

"The cafe would be as full as an Ahly-Zamalek derby," he told AFP, referring to Egypt's fiercest football rivalry.

"Now because they know he's not playing, no one comes."

At a corner table, a customer quietly asks staff to switch to another match.

- 'Time to leave' -

Since joining the Merseyside team in 2017, Salah has powered the club's return to the top of European football, inspiring two Premiere League titles, a Champions League triumph and victories at FA Cup, League Cup and FIFA Club World Cup.

With 250 goals in 420 appearances, he is Liverpool's third-highest goalscorer of all time, and for Egyptians, the country's greatest sporting export.

But this season, Salah has struggled for form, scoring five goals in 19 appearances as Liverpool have won just five of their last 16 matches in all competitions, slipping to eighth in the Champions League with 12 points.

At the cafe in the Shoubra neighbourhood of Cairo, the sense of disillusionment gripped fans.

"Cristiano Ronald, Messi and all players go through dips," said Mohamed Abdelaziz, 40, but they still play.

Shady Hany, 18, shook his head. "How can a player like Mohamed Salah sit on the bench for so long?" he told AFP.

"It is time for Salah to leave."

Slot said on Monday he had "no clue" whether Salah would play for Liverpool again.

Salah, due to join Egypt for the Africa Cup of Nations after next weekend's home match against Brighton, has around 18 months remaining on the £400,000-a-week contract he signed in April.

Saudi clubs have already set their sights on Salah to land him during the winter transfer window, a Public Investment Fund (PIF) source told AFP.

Saudi clubs Al-Ittihad, who had a £150-million bid rejected two years ago, and Al-Hilal are both believed to be monitoring developments while Aramco-backed Al Qadsiah is also keen.

Yet, Egyptian sports pundit Hassan Khalafallah believes Salah's motivations lie elsewhere.

"If he cared that much about money, he would have accepted earlier offers from Gulf clubs," he told AFP.

"What matters to Salah is his career and his legacy."

Salah's journey from the Nile Delta village of Nagrig to global stardom at Anfield has inspired millions.

His rise is a classic underdog story -- starting at Egypt's El Mokawloon, moving to Switzerland's Basel, enduring a tough spell at Chelsea, finding form at AS Roma and ultimately becoming one of the Premier League's greatest players.

"Salah is an Egyptian star we are all proud of," said Hany.

"Saudi Arabia is money, but Salah deserves more. He still has so much ahead of him."

Y.Zaher--SF-PST