Mohamed Salah has been granted honorary citizenship by Chechnya leader Ramzan Kadyrov at a banquet held to say goodbye to the Egypt World Cup squad.
Egypt’s squad adopted the Russian region’s capital, Grozny, as their base for the tournament and the choice has been criticised due to the Kadyrov regime and the long distances the team would have to travel for their matches.
Team officials have dismissed the criticism, saying the city is on FIFA’s list of approved bases and conditions there were perfect for the team. The banquet on Friday night was held at Kadyrov’s presidential palace in Grozny and the Chechen leader posed with Liverpool forward Salah for pictures, while pinning a medal on his chest.
“It is a deserved honour,” Kadyrov wrote on Russian social media, adding that Salah’s presence had driven “unprecedented interest in football”.