Mohammed Salah has suggested that he could retire from international football after Egypt failed to qualify for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
The Egyptian winger missed from the spot as Senegal qualified at their expense with Liverpool teammate Sadio Mane scoring the deciding spot kick. This is the second time in less than two months that the Egyptian national team has lost an important match to Senegal, the first being the finals of the Africa Cup of Nations.
In an emotional speech to teammates after the match, Salah hinted at quitting the national team.
“”I told the players this and I will say it again,”” said Salah.
“”I told them before the second leg that I am proud to play with you. You’re some of the most dedicated players I’ve played with.
“”I played with the previous generation with Wael Gomaa and M0hamed Aboutrika and then with Abdallah El-Said and the following generation and I can say I am happy with the current generation.
“”I’m proud to have played with you and it was a privilege to play alongside you and what happened was out of our control because they were penalty shoot-outs and for the second time.
“”There’s not much I can say but it was a privilege to play alongside you, whether I’ll be here or not afterwards.””
Meanwhile, Senegal could face punishment for the conduct of some of their fans who directed lasers to the eyes of the Egyptian players during the penalty shootout.
A FIFA spokesperson said, as per Sky Sports: “”FIFA is currently in the process of analysing the official match reports of the FIFA World Cup qualifier match between Senegal and Egypt.
“”The relevant information included in the match reports will be evaluated by the competent disciplinary bodies before deciding on the next steps to be taken.””
A statement from the FA said: “”The Egypt national team have been exposed to racism with offensive signs in the stands against the Egyptian players in general, and Mohamed Salah in particular.
“”The crowd also intimidated the players by throwing bottles and rocks on them during the warm-up.
“”The Egyptian group’s busses have also been exposed to assaults that led to broken windows and injuries; filed with pictures and videos as proof in the complaint submitted.””
