Mohamed Salah slammed for 'disrespectful' tweet during Liverpool crash probe
Mohamed Salah is at the centre of controversy after a 'tone-deaf' post appeared on his social media feed following Liverpool's parade tragedy. A picture of the forward kissing the Premier League trophy was uploaded to X just hours after a group of fans were struck by a car in the city centre.
It was around 6pm on Monday when reports emerged that a car had ploughed into those celebrating the Reds' title win. And the incident is understood to have left 27 people hospitalised, four of whom are believed to be children.
Merseyside Police have since confirmed a "53-year-old white British man" was arrested at the scene soon after the tragedy unfolded. But while fans and the city's residents were still in a state of shock, a celebratory post on the club talisman's social media feed took many by surprise.
The sense of mayhem was still visceral when the post appeared at 8.24pm, with emergency services swarming to aid those affected in Liverpool city centre. And the Daily Express reported the criticism aimed his way was swift for what many deemed an insensitive and poorly timed interjection.
"It's not the right time, respect the painful incident," wrote one angry fan. Another bluntly replied: "F**k you and your PR team. A third supporter chimed in with the chorus of criticism aimed at Salah, who had just picked up the Premier League Golden Boot in addition to the league crown: "This is why you should never relinquish control of your socials to a soulless media team. Completely inappropriate."
The post in question was quickly taken down from Salah's account. However, it was seen by enough fans to cause a ripple of discontent among supporters, both those devoted to Liverpool and otherwise.
It is believed Salah's team possibly queued up the post ahead of time, but that didn't stop a flurry of backlash from supporters online. "This scheduled post has landed at a bad time," wrote a fourth disgruntled fan. "They need to do damage control."
Some of Salah's avid followers jumped to his side, however, despite the poor timing. And they sought to divert some of the vitriol away from the player himself.
"Obviously Mo's PR team who should know a lot better - he would never do this," wrote one sympathiser. Another commented: "This is bad social media management. Posting this just after the Liverpool parade incident...should have cancelled if it's scheduled."
Liverpool have been engaged with Merseyside Police concerning the calamitous Water Street episode. The debacle was all the more devastating given it trailed the joy of the parade and the celebrations that came with it.
"We are in direct contact with Merseyside Police regarding the incident on Water Street which happened towards the end of the trophy parade earlier this evening," read a club statement. "Our thoughts and prayers are with those who have been affected by this serious incident. We will continue to offer our full support to the emergency services and local authorities who are dealing with this incident."
The tragic scenes led to an outpouring of support from sports fans and fellow clubs alike. Merseyside rivals Everton and Tranmere Rovers were among those to share their sympathies and send "thoughts and prayers" to those affected.
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