Outdated Photo Shared as MO Salah Crying on Air Over Egypt’s Loss to Nigeria
The Claim
The photo shows Mo Salah crying on air over his national team’s loss to Nigeria in the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon 2021).
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Social media accounts have recently shared a photo they claimed showed Egyptian national team player Mo Salah crying live on air over his team’s loss to Nigeria’s in their first match of the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon 2021) tournament.
Description: The screenshot shows the claim that’s been recently circulated on Facebook.
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar’s team investigated the claim and found it misleading. The photo is outdated; it does not show Mo Salah crying over his team’s loss to Nigeria’s. Instead, the photo was taken in May 2018, immediately after Mo left the stadium after his injury in the UEFA Champions League finals’ Liverpool vs. Real Madrid match. Mo Salah was ruled out of the match as a result of the injury.
No reliable sports media outlet reported that Salah cried after Egypt’s loss to Nigeria during the current Afcon 2021.
In an interview with Mo Salah published on Jan. 11 by GQ magazine, the Egyptian national team and Liverpool F.C. player talked about the most difficult moments he experienced during his football career with the two teams. They referred to his crying after Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos dislocated his shoulder during the 2018 Champions League Liverpool vs. Real Madrid final. Mo said he also cried right before the match against Uruguay in the 2018 World Cup because he couldn’t play.
The Egyptian national team played its second match in the Afcon 2021 on Saturday, Jan. 15, defeating Guinea-Bissau in the group stage.
Translated by Ahmed N. A. Almassri
