Egypt star Mohamed Salah was targeted by laser pointers before missing a crucial penalty in Tuesday’s shootout loss to Senegal.
The loss ensured that Egypt will miss out on this winter’s World Cup, with Sadio Mane and Senegal getting the best of Salah’s side for the second time this year from the spot.
In the run-up to his penalty, which Salah skied, the Liverpool star was seen with several lasers being shined onto his face by spectators at Senegal’s Stade Leopold Sedar Senghor.
What happened?
After a 1-0 first-leg win, Egypt conceded a goal in the fourth minute with the two sides deadlocked all the way through to a penalty shootout.
Throughout the match, the partisan home crowd was seen shining lasers onto the field, with those pointers out in full force for the penalty kicks.
Dozen of lasers could be seen on Salah’s face before he missed from the spot, with Egypt eventually losing 3-1 to miss out on the World Cup.
Following the match, Egypt manager Carlos Queiroz stepped down, ending his time in charge of the team after taking the role in September.
Egypt FA release statement
While they didn’t address the lasers specifically, the Egypt FA have confirmed that they have filed a complaint based on the atmosphere in Senegal.
“The Egyptian Football Association have lodged a formal complaint against its Senegalese counterpart to the match observer, the security official, CAF, and FIFA, before the start of the match between the two teams,” the federation said.
“The Egyptian team was subjected to racism after the appearance of offensive banners in the stands aimed at the players, specifically Mohamed Salah.
“Moreover the Senegalese fans terrorized the Egyptian players by throwing bottles and stones at them during the warm-up, as well as attacking the Egyptian team bus, which caused glass shattering and some injuries, which was documented with pictures and videos attached to the complaint.”
