Ramzan Kadyrov is not a pleasant individual. As head of the Chechen Republic the 41-year-old has a terrible record of human rights abuse, homophobia and torture, among other things.
But the politician has taken a shine to Liverpool and Egypt star Mohamed Salah, offering him honorary citizenship of Chechnya, which is a region under the control of Russia.
With the Egyptian national team based in Grozny, which is in Chechnya it has given Kadyrov access to the Liverpool winger, and in a video uploaded by RT we see Kadyrov presenting Salah with the honorary citizenship.
Salah awarded 'Chechen citizenship' by leader Ramzan Kadyrov https://t.co/IDjVFLreYM pic.twitter.com/P5LPYpn4Ad
— RT Sport (@RTSportNews) June 23, 2018
Kadyrov is currently under sanctions imposed by the United States, which accuses him of human rights violations, but that hasn't stopped him from rubbing shoulders with celebrities such as Steven Seagal, Ronaldinho and Maradona.
Kadyrov is a fascinating individual in his use of social media (he had 3 million followers on Instagram before his account was suspended), often using it as a smokescreen for his nefarious actions. This excellent video by Vox goes a long way to giving you an impression of the man.
It appears that Kadyrov's association with Salah is getting on the player's agent however, with Ramy Abbas Issa posting a pro-LGBTQ picture on his twitter, as well as posting cryptic messages such as "Fuming" and "Let these next few days just pass... and then we’ll see..."
When it was once said that a picture speaks a thousand words, apparently not. So here are the words: Regardless of background, ethnicity, orientation, preferences, everyone deserves respect, and equal rights. #RespectForAll
— Ramy Abbas Issa (@RamyCol) June 23, 2018
Kadyrov is a fascinating individual in his use of social media (he had 3 million followers on Instagram before his account was suspended), often using it as a smokescreen for his nefarious actions. This excellent video by Vox goes a long way to giving you an impression of the man.
Egypt will play their final group game against Saudi Arabia next Monday at 1pm, but with both teams already eliminated from the competition it will be a matter of pride as to who goes home with the wooden spoon in Group A.
