Mohamed Salah’s Gaza stand sparks Ozil comparisons: Is the Liverpool fallout part of an organised campaign?

Last Updated on 23 January 2026

As the standoff between Mohamed Salah and Liverpool Football Club reaches a fever pitch, an uncomfortable question is beginning to circulate among the fanbase and wider football community: Is this about more than just football?

While the official narrative centers on tactical disagreements with manager Arne Slot and a dip in form, the severity of the backlash against Salah, from the club, the media, and governing bodies feels disproportionate.

To understand the full picture, we must look back to August 2025, when the Egyptian King stopped playing the role of the silent superstar and started asking difficult questions.

Mo Salah publicly called out UEFA for hypocrisy

For years, Salah was criticised for not using his platform enough. That changed in August 2025, when he publicly called out UEFA for what many perceived as a hypocritical tribute to Suleiman Al-Obeid.

Al-Obeid, known as the “Palestinian Pele,” was killed in an Israeli airstrike while waiting for humanitarian aid in Gaza. UEFA posted a brief, sanitized tribute to the player without mentioning the cause of his death.

Salah didn’t let it slide. In a tweet that garnered millions of impressions within hours, he quoted UEFA’s post with a direct challenge: “Can you tell us how he died, where, and why?”

This was not just another footballer offering condolences. It was a superstar calling out one of the most powerful bodies in world football.

The tweet triggered global conversation — the exact conversation UEFA seemed desperate to avoid.
And many fans predicted Salah would “pay the price” for speaking up.

Four months later… that prediction looks hauntingly accurate.

Are Salah’s missing individual awards a punishment?

Since that tweet, the individual accolades that usually flow towards a player of Salah’s caliber have dried up completely, despite a statistical output that rivals the best seasons of his career.

• Ballon d’Or Snub: In September, Salah finished 4th in the Ballon d’Or rankings. This was despite recording 34 goals and 23 assists across all competitions and single-handedly dragging Liverpool to a Premier League title charge.
• To finish outside the top three with those numbers is a statistical anomaly that defies footballing logic.
• African Player of the Year Shock: The disrespect continued in November when PSG’s Achraf Hakimi was named African Player of the Year over Salah.
• While Hakimi is a world-class talent, Salah’s influence on the Premier League was objectively superior.
• FIFPRO World 11 Omission: Perhaps the most glaring snub came last week when the FIFPRO World 11 was announced. Despite breaking Premier League records, Salah was left out of the team entirely, with voters opting for players with significantly fewer goal contributions.

Is it a coincidence that the football establishment turned its back on Salah immediately after he challenged the establishment?

Are Liverpool trying to force him out?

Closer to home, the situation is equally suspicious. Liverpool’s hierarchy, led by Michael Edwards and Richard Hughes, appears ready to cut ties.

While the motivation is likely financial selling Salah to the Saudi Pro League in January would generate a massive profit, the ease with which the club has allowed his character to be assassinated suggests a lack of protection that is usually afforded to club legends.

The British media’s role has been particularly insidious. Pundits like Jamie Carragher have launched personal attacks that go far beyond football analysis, questioning Salah’s character, his ego, and even his legacy.

This vitriol has exposed what many fans believe is a deep-rooted xenophobia. When a foreign player, particularly a Muslim Arab player, steps out of line or challenges authority, the backlash is often swifter and nastier than it is for their European counterparts.

The Mesut Ozil Parallel: Another Muslim superstar who spoke up

The parallels between Mohamed Salah’s current isolation and Mesut Ozil’s final days at Arsenal are impossible to ignore.

In 2019, Ozil posted on social media condemning the treatment of Uighur Muslims in China. Almost immediately, Arsenal distanced themselves from his comments, citing the club’s “apolitical” stance.

Ozil was subsequently frozen out of the squad, omitted from Premier League and Europa League registration lists, and eventually forced out of the club.

Like Ozil, Salah is a global Muslim icon who dared to speak on a sensitive humanitarian issue. Like Ozil, he is now being painted as a “problem” in the dressing room, a disruption, and a player on the decline. The playbook looks familiar: isolate the player, destroy their public image, and force a departure.

Whether Salah’s exit is driven by politics, money, or tactics, one thing is clear: the treatment of Liverpool’s greatest Premier League era player has become a stain on the club’s reputation.