Salah Criticises Uefa Over Tribute to Palestinian Pele Footballer Killed in Gaza

Liverpool star Mohamed Salah has criticised Uefa over a social media tribute to late Palestinian footballer Suleiman al-Obeid, saying it failed to acknowledge the circumstances of his death, Sport360NG reports.

The Palestinian Football Association (PFA) announced on Thursday that Obeid was killed in an Israeli strike in the southern Gaza Strip while waiting for humanitarian aid a day earlier.

Obeid, 41, was regarded as the “Pele of Palestinian football” and scored more than 100 goals in his career, including two in 24 appearances for the national team.

On Friday, Uefa posted on X: “Farewell to Suleiman al-Obeid, the ‘Palestinian Pele’. A talent who gave hope to countless children, even in the darkest of times.”

Responding a day later, the Egypt international asked pointedly: “Can you tell us how he died, where, and why?” BBC Sport has approached Uefa for a response.

Israel launched its military campaign in Gaza following the Hamas-led assault on 7 October 2023, which left around 1,200 people dead and 251 taken hostage. According to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry, more than 61,300 people have been killed in the territory since then, including at least 38 deaths in the past 24 hours.

The UN recently reported that since late May, 1,373 Palestinians have died while trying to access food from aid distribution centres run by the US and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.

Salah has previously used his platform to call for the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza and urged global leaders to work towards ending the killing of civilians.