💡 SPOTLIGHT
Sports and politics: Will Mo Salah lose fans for his timid stance on Gaza?
Egyptian football legend Mohamed Salah’s careful positioning on the Israeli war in Gaza sparked discussions from fans and non-fans alike. Is it about ideology or sponsorships? And should any of it matter when his job is to score goals not play politics? asks Ahmed el-Fakharany in Arabic-language independent digital media Daraj.
Mohamed Salah's massive fan support in the Arab world has been called into question after he faced sharp criticism for positions on the war in Gaza that did not match the expectation of his supporters.
Salah remains arguably the best-known and most beloved Egyptian and North African player in the history of football, and his fan base, achievements and fame continue to cross borders. And it should be stated that Egyptians have no right to feel ownership or entitlement towards him, and no one should question his affiliation and loyalty to Egypt.
Nonetheless Salah's football status and fame do not and should not make him immune from any criticism, especially since he has shared many public positions and opinions on a range of subjects — most recently of course on the conflict consuming the Middle East.
The statement which has caused the greatest stir was in response to a question about Israel's war on Gaza was a declaration that would seem something everyone could support: “All souls are sacred.”
Salah's use of this particular axiom in the context of the conflict could be interpreted to mean equating the executioner with the victim, and at the same time evading direct support for Gaza and Palestine. Reports say that the choice of words was a result of the calculations of his agent, Rami Abbas.
Abbas is a Colombian national of Lebanese origins, and is known to be politically affiliated with the right-wing movement in his country and is a declared backer of Donald Trump. He also no doubt made it clear to Salah that his sponsorships could be at risk for taking a clear stance, along with reducing the chances of him winning the Ballon d’Or.
We should remember, first of all, that Salah is just a football player — not a politician. But it's also true that he has real influence globally. Taken together, he chose a path that would not jeopardize his individual success and rewards.
Salah has the right to choose his individual survival, and fans then also have the right, based on his choices, to have different feelings towards him. And some no doubt will no longer be the fans they once were. [...]
— Read the full article by Ahmed el-Fakharany for Daraj, translated into English by Worldcrunch.
🌎 7 THINGS TO KNOW RIGHT NOW
• Israel frees two hostages in deadly raid: Israel freed two Israeli-Argentinian hostages in Rafah on Monday under the cover of airstrikes that local health officials said killed 67 Palestinians in the southern Gaza city. Meanwhile, a Dutch court has ordered the government to halt the delivery of parts for F-35 fighter jets used by Israel in its bombardment of Gaza.
• Yemen’s Houthis target U.S.-linked ship with missiles: Houthi fighters have fired on a ship that they identified as United States-owned while it traveled in waters off Yemen. The Iran-linked armed group said on Monday that the Star Iris was targeted with “a number of suitable naval missiles” in “accurate and direct” strikes. A Houthi military spokesman reiterated the attacks from Yemen will persist until Israel halts its war in Gaza. For more, read this recent Daraj article, translated from Arabic by Worldcrunch: Inside Yemen, Rising Opposition To Houthis’ Red Sea Escalation.
• Pakistan's Khan-backed independents lead in final poll count: The final results of Pakistan’s national election put independents, backed by jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan, in the lead with 95 of 264 seats. The party of another former prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, was second with 75 seats after Thursday's vote, lacking a clear majority but it was the largest single party in parliament as Khan's independents ran as individuals.
• Conservative ex-PM Stubb elected Finland President: Final results show that Finland's conservative former Prime Minister Alexander Stubb has won Sunday's presidential election. He secured 51.6% of the vote, while his Green Party rival Pekka Haavisto, the former foreign minister, had 48.4%. It is the first election since Finland joined the Nato military alliance. Stubb, 55, takes a hardline approach towards Russia, with which the Nordic nation shares a long land border.
• Qatar frees eight ex-Indian navy officers previously on death row: A Qatari court has released eight former Indian naval officers previously on death row for unspecified charges. Seven of the men have already returned to India, Delhi's foreign ministry said on Monday. Neither Qatar nor India revealed the charges against the men, who were working for Dahra Global, a private firm in Qatar.
• Marathon world-record holder dies in car accident in Kenya: The men's marathon world record holder, Kenya's Kelvin Kiptum, 24, has died in a road accident in his home country. He was killed alongside his coach, Rwanda's Gervais Hakizimana, in a car on a road in western Kenya. Kiptum made a breakthrough in 2023 as a rival to compatriot Eliud Kipchoge, one of the greatest marathon runners.
• Football and football: The Kansas City Chiefs became the first team to win back-to-back Super Bowls in 19 years, downing the San Francisco 49ers 25-22 in overtime in Las Vegas. As for the *football that the rest of the world cares about, Ivory Coast completed a dramatic comeback on home soil to beat Nigeria 2-1 at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, its third continental title.
🗞️ FRONT PAGE
📰 STORY OF THE DAY
Kyiv's “long arm” strategy: Can targeting oil and gas plants inside Russia turn the tide?
The targeting of oil industry sites in occupied or border regions has now been replaced by a series of drone strikes of energy-producing structures deep inside Russian territory. These attacks aim to cripple Russia's economy, which could turn the tide on the war, reports independent media Vazhnyye Istorii.
🛢️ In early 2024, the Ukrainian military initiated a series of attacks on Russian oil and gas processing facilities, conducting seven drone strikes between January 18 and February 3. These attacks by drones (also known as UAVs: "unmanned aerial vehicle") mark a shift from the previous targeting of oil industry sites in occupied or border regions, as drones now strike locations deep inside Russian territory: in the Leningrad, Volgograd, and Yaroslavl regions. These attacks are the first of their kind since the onset of the war.
💥 Israeli military expert David Sharp believes the development of the "long arm," striking targets deep within enemy territory, should be a priority right now. Military expert Kirill Mikhailov echoes Sharp's sentiment, saying a mix of "defense and offense" is crucial. He draws parallels with World War II, highlighting how the United States and Britain spent years searching for effective ways to damage Nazi Germany through bombing. After attacks on residential buildings and factories yielded limited results, the Allies discovered Germany’s Achilles heel: installations for synthetic fuel production.
📉 Experts suggest that continued attacks on refineries could further reduce export volumes, potentially leading to fuel shortages domestically and even at the front lines. Currently, petroleum products account for a third of all oil exports, notes oil and gas expert Vakulenko. British writer and historian Owen Matthews emphasizes that strikes on critical infrastructure pose a greater threat to Russia than prolonged conflict on the front lines. "Perhaps this is what will make the war too expensive and painful for Putin," he writes.
➡️ Read more on Worldcrunch.com
📹 THIS HAPPENED VIDEO — TODAY IN HISTORY, IN ONE ICONIC PHOTO
#️⃣ BY THE NUMBERS
46.80 seconds
Chinese swimming wunderkind Pan Zhanle broke the 100-meter freestyle world record with a time of 46.80 seconds during the 4x100m relay event at the 2024 World Aquatics Championships in Doha, Qatar. The 19-year-old shaved 0.06 seconds off the previous record set by Romanian teenager David Popovici in August 2022. “I didn't expect to break the world record now, I wanted to keep it for the Paris Olympics,” said the athlete, who became the first Chinese male to hold the world record in the event.
📣 VERBATIM
“NATO cannot be an ‘à la carte’ military alliance.”
— EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell responded to comments made by Donald Trump regarding NATO over the weekend, saying the military alliance could not depend on the whims of the U.S. president. Trump suggested that, if reelected, he would not abide by the collective defense clause at the heart of the alliance and said that he would “encourage” Russia to attack any NATO country that does not meet financial obligations. NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg hit back that such suggestions put “American and European soldiers at increased risk” while U.S. President Joe Biden slammed the comments as “appalling and unhinged.”
📸 PHOTO DU JOUR
(see above) Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes celebrates his game-winning touchdown with wide receiver Mecole Hardman Jr. during NFL Super Bowl 58 LVIII football game against the San Francisco 49ers. The Kansas City Chiefs became the first team to win back-to-back Super Bowls since the New England Patriots did it 19 years ago, winning 25-22 in overtime in Las Vegas. — Photo: Charles Baus/CSM via ZUMA
👉 MORE FROM WORLDCRUNCH
• How Egypt’s Pyramid "Project Of The Century" Backfired In Record Time — DARAJ
• Maduro Makes A Mockery Of Democracy — And Latin America's Left Goes Along For The Ride — CLARÍN
• How The Centre Pompidou's Original Sketches Were Rediscovered — In A Parking Lot— LA STAMPA
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