Mohamed Salah van Liverpool has criticized UEFA's European football board for placing a tribute to “Palestinian Pele” Suleiman al-Obeid in which the former international did not died after he was hit by Israeli gunfire in the Gaza strip.
Obeid, 41, was killed on Wednesday when Israeli troops 'pointed people who waited for humanitarian aid in the Southern Gaza Strip', said the Palestinian football club (PFA) in a statement.
Europe's football management body UEFA posted on X: “Goodbye from Suleiman al-Obeid, the 'Palestinian Pele'. A talent that gave hope to countless children, even in the darkest time.”
The Egyptian striker Salah responded by posting: “Can you tell us how he died, where and why?”
Obeid, born in Gaza City, was married and had five children. He played 24 international matches for Team Palestine.
In October 2023, Salah called “world leaders to come together” to allow humanitarian aid to Gaza “to prevent further slaughter of innocent souls”.
Since the start of the Gaza War, activated by the Palestinian militant group of Hamas's attack of October 2023 on Israel, 662 people from the sports and reconnaissance sector have been killed, including 321 in the football community, according to the PFA.
Salah, who was the Premier League top scorer last season, will be listed on Sunday for Liverpool in the Community Shield in Wembley against Crystal Palace, the traditional curtain booster of the English football season.