Egypt’s former minister of communications and information technology, Hani Mahmoud, expressed his admiration to the Liverpool star Mohamed Salah, during the Narrative PR Summit 2017 which was organized by CC Plus PR Agency, claiming that the standout player has done to Egypt more than what a whole cabinet did.
The Egyptian international player was in the top headlines worldwide after he scored both of Egypt’s goals in a home win over Republic of Congo, sending the country to this year’s World Cup in Russia and ending a near 30-year wait for Africa’s most successful team.
Egypt’s name has been mentioned in countless news reports applauding the Egyptian’s journey in Europe – from Swiss side Basel to Chelsea, Italy’s Fiorentina and Roma and more recently Liverpool, where he is having a wealth of success becoming the Premier League’s top scorer.
The Liverpool star, who has been voted BBC African Footballer of the Year for 2017, has gained a wide acclaim for his stellar performance with top European clubs and more recently due to reports about him being a transfer target for Real Madrid.
Some believe Salah is being excessively celebrated. But, isn’t it enough that Egypt’s image had been associated with the Pyramids, Sphinx and the 7000-year pharaonic civilization? Aren’t we today in real need of modern achievements to re-shape and establish a positive image of the country overseas?
While there are hundreds and thousands of success stories in different fields, it’s not every day that people manage to become immensely influential at local and global levels alike. Salah has continued to pull off one success after another, forcing media–a major tool for every brand name– to talk about him everywhere.
We may well need to create inspiring examples that can help promote a positive image of the country abroad, the likes of Salah and, previously, Olympic champion Mohamed Rashwan who won a silver medal in Judo at the Los Angeles Game in 1984.
Rashwan was on the verge of clinching a gold had he played on what he deemed was the weaker side of his Japanese opponent who had been favoring his right leg after an injury. Following that incident and after the Japanese heard about this benevolent act, the number of Japanese tourists visiting Egypt rose three-fold.
Egypt needs a role model who young people can look up to and follow—one who can enhance the country’s positive image across the world.