The media has been awash with stories of Mohamed Salah’s embroilment in a dispute with the Egyptian Football Association (EFA), concerning the unauthorised use of his image on the Egypt national team’s plane. The image was provided by the team’s official sponsor, WE (Telecom Egypt’s mobile branch), but Salah has a sponsorship deal with a rival firm, Vodafone. The first hint of a clash came on 20 April, when the Premier League player’s agent and director of MS Commercial (Cayman) that owns his image rights, Lawyer Ramy Abbas, tweeted, “we are having a very serious issue with the Egyptian Football Association.” Abbas accused the EFA of committing violations by using Salah’s image on the EgyptAir plane that will fly the team to the Russian World Cup. He argued that EFA and its sponsor, the advertising agency, Presentation, needed to obtain written consent from MS Commercial (Cayman) before using the image. EFA officials responded by stating that they have not broken any rules – and by accusing Abbas of “indecent communication.” On Saturday, Abbas tweeted, “We have not even been contacted for a resolution! Nothing! Complete silence!” The tweet continued, “What’s the plan?! We just see more…
