Liverpool's Salah calls out Uefa's silence on Gaza genocide in tribute to ‘Palestinian Pele'
The Palestine Football Association said that Al-Obeid, 41, was killed by an Israeli strike targeting civilians waiting for humanitarian aid in the southern Gaza Strip on Wednesday.
In a brief post on the social media platform X, Uefa called the former national team member 'a talent who gave hope to countless children, even in the darkest of times.'
Salah responded: 'Can you tell us how he died, where, and why?'
Uefa was not immediately available to comment.
One of the Premier League's biggest stars, the 33-year-old Egyptian Salah has previously advocated for humanitarian aid to be allowed into Gaza in the nearly two-year-old war.
Can you tell us how he died, where, and why? https://t.co/W7HCyVVtBE
August 9, 2025
The PFA later posted a statement on its Facebook page attributed to Uefa President Aleksander Ceferin, calling Al-Obeid 'proof of the joy that can flourish in the hearts of people despite hardship.
'He gave his talent and dedication to the children of Gaza and gave their dreams a hope to blossom despite the suffering,' the statement read.
'His death is a great loss to the world of football and to everyone who recognises the power of sport to unite people.'
The PFA said on Saturday that 325 players, coaches, administrators, referees and club board members in the Palestinian soccer community have died in the Israeli-Hamas conflict since October 2023.
An aerial view from a Jordanian military aircraft shows the Gaza Strip on August 9, 2025, before humanitarian aid is airdropped. — Reuters pic
The war
began after Gaza's dominant Palestinian militant group Hamas carried out a cross-border attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostages, according to Israeli authorities.
Israel's subsequent air and ground campaign has levelled entire neighbourhoods in Gaza, displaced most of the population of 2.3 million and pushed the enclave to the brink of famine, according to the United Nations.
The UN says more than 1,000 people have been killed near aid distribution sites and aid convoys in Gaza since the launch of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a US and Israel-backed aid distribution system, in late May. — Reuters
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Malay Mail
5 minutes ago
- Malay Mail
Palace claim sporting merit ‘meaningless' after Europa League demotion
LONDON, Aug 13 — Premier League side Crystal Palace said on Tuesday that sporting merit had been 'rendered meaningless' by Uefa's decision to demote them from the Europa League. The FA Cup winners have been forced to play in this season's Conference League after European football's governing body Uefa ruled in July that American businessman John Textor had control or influence at both Palace and French club Lyon. Palace tried to have the punishment overturned, but on Monday the Lausanne-based Court of Arbitration for Sport announced the Premier League club had lost their appeal. Nottingham Forest are set to take Palace's spot in the Europa League. Palace chairman Steve Parish had already been vocal in his criticism after the initial demotion and, with their fate sealed, the south London club again blasted the decision. 'At a time when we should be celebrating our victory in the Community Shield at Wembley, the decision by Uefa and followed by the Court of Arbitration for Sport shows that sporting merit is rendered meaningless,' Palace said in a statement. 'When we won the FA Cup against Manchester City on that momentous day in May, our manager and players earned the right to play Europa League football. 'We have been denied that opportunity. It appears that certain clubs, organisations and individuals have a unique privilege and power. 'This growing and unhealthy influence has shattered the hopes and dreams of Crystal Palace supporters, and does not bode well for aspirational teams all over Europe competing to progress when rules and sanctions are unevenly applied in the most flagrant way.' Uefa regulations state that where one or more clubs are found to have shared ownership, they cannot play in the same competition, and Lyon held on to the Europa League spot by virtue of their higher league position. Palace missed a March 1 Uefa deadline for team in multi-club groups to change their ownership structure. Textor has since sold his shares to New York Jets owner Woody Johnson, a takeover completed in late July. 'Multi-club structures hide behind the charade of a 'blind trust' while clubs such as ours, who have no connection to another club whatsoever, are prevented from playing in the same competition,' the Palace statement added. 'To compound the injustice, clubs that appear to have huge informal arrangements with each other are also allowed to participate and even possibly play against each other. Palace added that the process was 'designed to severely restrict and, in our case, make it almost impossible to receive a fair hearing'. Palace beat Premier League champions Liverpool in the Community Shield at the weekend, winning a penalty shootout after the match finished 2-2 in 90 minutes. — AFP
Malay Mail
5 minutes ago
- Malay Mail
Former Premier League referee Coote given eight-week ban over Klopp comments
LONDON, Aug 13 — Disgraced former Premier League referee David Coote has been given an eight-week suspension by the Football Association and told to attend an education programme over disparaging comments he made about ex-Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp. Coote was sacked in December by Professional Game Match Officials Ltd (PGMOL) after a video circulated on social media the previous month of him making derogatory remarks about Klopp and Liverpool in 2020. He has been further sanctioned by the FA for an 'aggravated breach' of rule E3.2, because of the reference he made to Klopp's German nationality in the video. The FA's written reasons for the verdict announced Tuesday said Coote expressed 'deep remorse' and acknowledged his comments were 'crass and inappropriate'. Coote was charged by the FA in June, with the English game's ruling body saying at the time he would face no further action in regard to separate allegations of gambling misconduct, which he had strenuously denied. The FA said those allegations had been fully investigated. A video showing Coote snorting white powder, reportedly during Euro 2024, emerged in November. Earlier this year European football's governing body Uefa banned Coote from any officiating activity until June 2026. In a January interview Coote came out as gay and said his struggle to hide his sexuality had contributed to bad choices. — AFP
Malay Mail
35 minutes ago
- Malay Mail
Egypt says working with Qatar, US on 60-day Gaza ceasefire plan
CAIRO, Aug 13 — Egypt said Tuesday it was working with fellow Gaza mediators Qatar and the United States to broker a 60-day ceasefire as part of a renewed push to end the Israel-Hamas war. Egypt, Qatar and the United States have played a key role in mediating talks between Israel and Hamas since the Palestinian militant group's October 7, 2023 attack triggered the ongoing war. 'We are working very hard now in full cooperation with the Qataris and Americans,' Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty told reporters during a press conference in Cairo. 'The main objective is to go back to the original proposal — to have a ceasefire for 60 days, with the release of some hostages and some Palestinian detainees, and the flow of humanitarian and medical assistance to Gaza without restrictions, without conditions.' 'We are talking with Hamas, with the Israelis and pushing for a deal' based on a recent US plan, Abdelatty said. A Palestinian source familiar with the negotiations earlier told AFP that 'mediators are working to formulate a new comprehensive ceasefire agreement proposal' that would include the release of all remaining hostages in Gaza 'in one batch'. Last month, more than two weeks of negotiations in Doha failed to secure a breakthrough in talks for a ceasefire and the release of hostages. Hamas negotiators eventually withdrew days after the United States and Israel pulled their own delegations. US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff blamed Hamas for the failure, saying Washington would 'consider alternative options' after no agreement was reached. A previous short-lived truce earlier this year collapsed and did not lead to a lasting agreement. A senior Hamas delegation was expected in Cairo for talks with Egyptian officials, two Palestinian sources told AFP on Tuesday. — AFP
