Support for Salah thrusts Ahmed El Sakka into social media storm

CAIRO -

Actor Ahmed El Sakka and Egyptian football star and Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah dominated social media in recent days after a video in which Sakka voiced his support for Salah circulated widely, following the spread of an image showing the player looking distressed after one of his recent matches.

Sakka expressed his feelings towards Salah, saying he was on his way to a wedding when he came across the image of the player, prompting him to share a video message in support, which he posted on social media. He explained that previous attempts to support Salah had been limited to photos or brief words, so he decided this time to record a video in his own words.

Sakka published the video on his official accounts, introducing himself by saying: “My name is Ahmed El Sakka, one of the Middle East’s mega stars, and I am Egyptian and proud to hold the same nationality as Mohamed Salah.”

He called on Liverpool’s management to reconsider its position towards the player, pointing to Salah’s standing not only in Egypt and the Arab world, but also in Britain.

He also addressed Salah directly, saying: “You are a mountain the wind cannot shake. Focus on yourself and trust your abilities. There is great hope for you in the Africa Cup of Nations and the World Cup. We all love you.”

The video sparked a broad wave of criticism and mockery, particularly over his direct address to the club’s management, his pronunciation of English and his description of himself as a “mega star.” Some argued that intervening in sporting disputes in this way might not benefit the player or his position at Liverpool.

An image that appeared behind the well-known actor in the video also drew widespread attention among Egyptians, prompting a flood of posts and comments alluding to a case involving his former wife and allegations of art theft.

Egyptian television presenter and designer Maha Al-Sagheer had previously falsely claimed ownership of artworks by four European artists, before apologising last July and admitting what she described as a “big mistake.”

Following the storm of comments, visual artist Mohamed Bassiouni responded to the criticism directed at his painting “Al-Meligy with the Mask,” writing on his Facebook page: “Ahmed El Sakka owns a number of my paintings from the ‘Pandemic’ collection.”

The artist said he was not upset by the comments or the attacks on his artwork, explaining: “I read through the comments; some were kind and others were humorous. Someone wrote that the artist who painted the work must be mentally ill. I read that comment and laughed a lot and wasn’t offended, because I believe Egyptians generally have an unjustified level of humour. I certainly won’t be angry with him. Many tried to link it to the actor’s former wife, but honestly I enjoyed reading the comments very much.”

Sakka later spoke about the abuse and insults he and his family were subjected to in comments on social media, saying the criticism and mockery reached the level of personal insult. He said he was psychologically affected and deeply saddened that both he and Salah had been targeted with offensive language.

He added that he had considered filing an official complaint with the internet crimes unit, but ultimately decided against it to avoid harming his critics, choosing instead to forgive them and calling for a return to behavioural discipline on digital platforms.

Sakka also said that some foreign newspapers had questioned who he was, noting that the English-language video supporting Salah surpassed six million views within just six hours before it was suddenly removed from his Facebook and Instagram accounts.

He said he had not deleted the video himself and was surprised by its removal without warning. He suggested that he may have entered unfamiliar territory, but stressed that he had expressed full support for Arab stars, particularly Mohamed Salah, despite the heavy criticism he received.

Sakka said it was possible the video had been reported or deemed inappropriate under platform policies. Despite this, he reaffirmed his commitment to continuing to support Salah and all Arab talents.