Mo Salah Wonders How Slain 'Palestinian Pelé' Died In Sarcastic Comment On UEFA Tweet

Liverpool forward and Egyptian national team superstar Mohamed Salah reposted a tweet from the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) on Sunday, adding a sarcastic comment that was widely praised by his Arab fans.

The UEFA's post on X mourned Suleiman al-Obeid, a former Palestine national team player who was killed by Israeli gunfire in the Gaza Strip, as per what the sport's local governing body said earlier this month.

Obeid, 41, was killed on Wednesday when Israeli forces "targeted people waiting for humanitarian aid in the southern Gaza Strip", the Palestinian Football Association (PFA) said in a statement.

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The UEFA tweet said: "Farewell to Suleiman al-Obeid, the 'Palestinian Pelé'". In his repost, Salah sarcastically asks the governing body for football in Europe: "Can you tell us how he died, where, and why?"

The ironic comment by Salah was met with admiration among many of his fans. The famous player faced strong backlash from fans who criticised him for not speaking out enough about the situation in Gaza.

Palestinian Pelé

An ex-star of the Khadamat Al-Shati club in Gaza, Obeid played 24 international matches for team Palestine, the PFA said.

"During his long career, Al-Obeid scored more than 100 goals, making him one of the brightest stars of Palestinian football," it added.

The midfielder also played for the Al-Amari Youth Centre Club in the West Bank, which Israel has occupied since 1967.

While living there in 2010, Obeid was among six players on the national team from Gaza who were turned back at the Jordanian border for "security reasons" on their way to a friendly in Mauritania.

An Israeli security official said at the time that the players had failed to renew special permits allowing them to play in the West Bank.

"When I heard that we would be forbidden from travelling, I was very upset, because any athlete dreams of wearing his national jersey in international forums," Obeid said in 2010.

"We want to be able to travel freely with our families, just like athletes anywhere else in the world."

Born in Gaza City, Obeid was married and had five children.

Since the start of the Gaza war, triggered by Palestinian militant group Hamas's October 2023 attack on Israel, 662 people from the sport and scouting sector have been killed, including 321 in the football community, according to the PFA.

(With inputs from AFP)

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