Mo Salah says his next Liverpool game could be his last

In a shock interview, Mo Salah has said his next Liverpool game may be his last ever, as he prepares to depart for the African Cup of Nations (AFCON). The striker has been left on the bench for three games in a row, and now has unexpectedly revealed deep rifts at the club.

Salah told waiting reporters:

It seems like the club has thrown me under the bus. That is how I am feeling. I think it is very clear that someone wanted me to get all of the blame.

When asked if he thought Liverpool’s next game at Brighton could be his last, he said:

In football you never know. I don’t accept this situation. I have done so much for this club.

He continued:

I can’t believe … I’m sitting on the bench for 90 minutes…I’m very, very disappointed. I have done so much for this club down the years and especially last season. Now I’m sitting on the bench and I don’t know why.

Arab Cup and AFCON on the horizon

Matters are further complicated by Salah departing to play in AFCON after that Brighton game. Alarmingly, Salah appeared unsure how much of a future he has at Liverpool, with the January transfer window opening shortly after the tournament concludes:

This club, I always support it. My kids will always support it. I love the club so much I will always do. I called my mum yesterday – you guys [journalists] didn’t know if I would start or not, but I knew. Yesterday I said [to my mum]: ‘Come to the Brighton game. I don’t know if I am going to play or not but I am going to enjoy it.’

Salah said he wanted to ensure he soaked in what could be his final game:

In my head, I’m going to enjoy that game because I don’t know what is going to happen now. I will be in Anfield to say goodbye to the fans and go the Africa Cup. I don’t know what is going to happen when I am there.

The striker has been exceptional for Liverpool throughout his career at the Merseyside club. However, a recent nosedive in Liverpool’s form has also seen a more subdued Salah. And, he revealed that his relationship with manager Arne Slot has deteriorated:

I said many times before that I had a good relationship with the manager and all of a sudden, we don’t have any relationship. I don’t know why, but it seems to me, how I see it, that someone doesn’t want me in the club.

Thrown under the bus

Salah is beloved by fans at Anfield, and many were both relieved and delighted as he signed a contract over the summer that would likely see him finish his illustrious career at the club. However, Salah made it clear that he feels as though he has been made a scapegoat for Liverpool’s woes:

It is not acceptable for me. I don’t know why this is happening to me. I don’t get it. I think if this was somewhere else, every club would protect its player. How I see it now is like: ‘You throw Mo under the bus because he is the problem in the team now.’ But I don’t think I am the problem. I have done so much for this club.

And, he rightly pointed out that after a stunning season, being dropped to the bench was rare for a player of his calibre:

After what I have done for the club it really hurts. You can imagine, really.

Salah continued:

I have been at this club, scoring more than anyone in this generation, since I came to the Premier League. If I was somewhere else, everybody would go to the media and defend the players. I am the only one in this situation. Can I give an example?

“It’s silly but I am sorry. I remember a while ago, Harry Kane was not scoring for 10 games, and everyone in the media was like: ‘Oh, Harry will score for sure.’ When it comes to Mo everyone is like: ‘He needs to be on the bench.

It’s hard not to consider Salah’s status as the most famous Arab footballer in the world affecting his reception amongst the footballing world. The striker is a superstar for his club, but the treatment he’s revealed is, as he argues, at odds with his stature. White English players are not treated in such a manner – so why is Salah?

As the Arab Cup sees great support from fans, and AFCON will likely have the same reception, football institutions need to take a long hard look at the absurd treatment of players from the global south.

Featured image via the Canary