Mohamed Salah says Egyptian teammate Amr Warda ‘should not be sent to the guillotine’ after accusations of sexual harassment

The Liverpool star condemned Warda’s actions but insists people who’ve made mistakes can change

Mohamed Salah has condemned his Egyptian teammate, Amr Warda, who was expelled from the country’s African Cup of Nations after being accused of sexual harassment, stating that “no means no”, but added that “people who have made mistakes can change” and ”shouldn’t be sent straight to the guillotine”.

Warda has been accused of sexual harassment over social media, with Merhan Keller, a British-Egyptian model, sharing screenshots sent over WhatsApp allegedly showing a string of lewd, inappropriate and occasionally aggressive messages sent by the footballer.

Keller also shared images allegedly sent by Warda to other women who have been the victims of similar forms of harassment by the 25-year-old.

“The head of the Egyptian Football Federation, Hani Abu Reda, has decided to dismiss Amr Warda from the team’s camp after consulting with the team’s technical and administrative staff, in order to maintain the state of discipline, commitment and concentration,” a statement released by the Egyptian Football Association read soon after the accusations were made.

Warda was sent home before Egypt’s group game against Congo, which they won 2-0 to advance to the knockout stages, and after the game, Salah took to Twitter to address the issue.

“Women must be treated with the utmost respect,” Salah wrote.

“No means no. Those things are and must remain sacred. I also believe that many who make mistakes can change for the better and shouldn’t be sent straight to the guillotine, which is the easiest way out.

The Egyptian Football Federation confirmed Warda had been expelled from the squad

(EPA)

“We need to believe in second chances... we need to guide and educate. Shunning is not the answer.”

It’s not the first time Warda has been accused of misconduct. In 2017, during a loan spell with Portuguese side Feirense, he was accused of harassing two of his teammates’ wives – Warda strongly denies the allegation.