Published On: Sun, Nov 19th, 2023
Sports | 4,178 views

Liverpool star Mo Salah escorted off by military officers as pitch invaders cause chaos | Football | Sport

Liverpool star Mohamed Salah was escorted off of the pitch whilst on international duty with Egypt over the weekend. The winger helped his side to a 2-0 victory over Sierra Leone before a flurry of pitch invaders prompted security measures to be amped up at the Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex Stadium.

Salah was uncharacteristically not among the goals for Egypt on Sunday during their World Cup qualifying group-stage clash with Sierra Leone. However, the impact of the Liverpool star was felt on the pitch and within the crowd.

Former Aston Villa star Trezeguet opened the scoring for Egypt in the 11th minute when smashing home from close range after being teed up by Mostafa Mohamed. The winger then grabbed his brace in the 63rd minute after Salah picked out his teammate unmarked in the penalty area.

Carnage then ensued after Egypt’s second, with Sierra Leone stars losing their cool and consequently being reduced to nine men, following Tyrese Fornah’s red card in the first half. Supporters in the crowd also failed to keep a lid on their emotions, with several entering the pitch to try and get within touching distance of Salah.

The ex-Roma star’s reputation in Africa is unmatched and he is widely regarded as an icon by many football fans in the continent. It was unclear why Salah was the target for dozens of fans as security managed to take most of them down before they could even get close.

Some fans did manage to run past security but Liverpool star Salah was promptly pulled away from the pitch invaders, with military officers also entering the pitch to ensure that the 31-year-old remained safe.

Those who were successful in their pursuit of the winger were then taken away, with punches being thrown by members of the security team at one invader in particular. Members of the military team pitch-side, along with numerous security guards, then took the decision to rush onto the pitch after the full-time whistle sounded and escort Salah off of the field and down the tunnel into the dressing room to avoid any further risks to his welfare.

There have been suggestions that some of the Sierra Leone residents who entered the pitch intended to attack Salah but it remains unknown at this stage. Photos shared online showed one smiling pitch invader who came eye to eye with the forward actually appeared to be wearing a Liverpool shirt and seemed to drop to his knees as a sign of respect.

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