Egypt midfielder Amr Warda will not be available for the remainder of the team’s Africa Cup of Nations games following allegations that he sexually harassed a number of women online.
Egypt Midfielder Amr Warda
The Egyptian Football Association kicked Warda off the team after consulting with the team’s administrative and technical staff.
Warda posted a video on Facebook in which he apologised to his family, his teammates, to the EFA and to “anyone who is upset at me or anyone I have upset.”
Warda has previously been accused of harassing a fashion model on Instagram and a complaint against him has been filed with Egypt’s Attorney General.
Egypt striker Mohamed Salah and captain Ahmed Elmohamady quickly rallied behind their teammate, saying the EFA was being too harsh.
Claiming that Warda’s exclusion from the national team is “shunning”, Salah said that this should not be the answer and stressed that people should believe in second chances. “We need to guide and educate,” he added on Twitter.
In another tweet Salah emphasized that women should be treated with the utmost respect, commenting, “’No’ means ‘no’,” referring to Warda’s undue pressuring for women to become involved with him. Salah also affirmed that such principles should be forever sacred and that women must be treated with the utmost respect.
Egypt is on the final 16 of AFCON 2019 following their 2-0 win over DR Congo Wednesday night.
