Egyptian football stars Mohamed Salah (L) and Mohamed el-Neny Cairo – Hossam Al Said The future of Egyptian duo Mohamed Salah and Mohamed el-Neny at FC Basel could be under threat after the Swiss club were drawn against Israel’s Maccabi Tel Aviv in the third qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League.
Basel will play their Israeli opponents in Switzerland on July 29, with the return leg scheduled to take place in Tel Aviv on August 6 ?or 7.
Playing in Israel has long been a contentious issue in Egyptian football, with many arguing that it amounts to \"normalising\" ties with Israel.
Although Basel officials are yet to comment on the situation, Salah, in the past, has taken to Facebook to protest against the 2013 UEFA U-21 Championship being held in Israel.
On Saturday, Salah returned to Facebook, simply writing “Israel..\" without clarifying whether he intends to feature in the away tie.
More than 40 comments were posted in an hour on the status, with some users calling on him to boycott the match and others urging him to play and \"defeat the Zionists\"
If Salah and el-Neny refuse to travel to Israel, it could cause problems for Basel and jeopardise relations between the players and the club.
Several Egyptian players have stirred controversy previously by playing for their clubs in Israel. In 1994, former Egyptian international defender Hany Ramzy, now coach of Egypt\'s Wadi Degla, went to Israel with Werder Bremen to play against Maccabi Tel Aviv in the old UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup. Nader el-Sayed, the former goalkeeper of al-Ahly and Zamalek sat on the bench for Belgian side Club Brugge during their game against the Israeli champions.
There was also Zamalek midfielder Ahmed Hassan, who took to the field for Belgian team Anderlecht against Hapoel Tel Aviv, even though the match took place in Brussels.
The potential Salah, el-Neny controversy comes days after Algerian star Amir Sayoud, formerly of al-Ahly, caused controversy by lining up for Bulgarian team Beroe Stara Zagora against Hapoel in the UEFA Europa League qualifiers.
Locals from Sayoud\'s hometown of el-Fedjoudj, Guelma Province, carried out a huge protest against the attacking midfielder\'s decision to play against Hapoel, with some calling for him to be dropped from the Algerian national team.
Sources close to Sayoud\'s family said that he wouldn\'t travel to Israel for the return leg, with Beroe Stara Zagora on the verge of elimination due to a 4-1 defeat in the opening leg.
They added that the player had spoken to Beroe Stara Zagora coach Petar Houbchev about missing last Thursday\'s game, but in the end decided to go ahead and fulfil his contractual duties.