Liverpool and Egypt winger Mo Salah is arguably the biggest footballer on Earth not named Messi or Ronaldo. His public platform is massive, as evidenced by the reach of his video calling for humanitarian aid to be allowed into Gaza.
Two days ago, Salah spoke out about the current Israel-Hamas war, calling for the “massacres to stop.” Salah urged world leaders to take immediate action, because “humanity must prevail.”
— Mohamed Salah (@MoSalah) October 18, 2023
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The X (formerly Twitter) video posting has over 170,100,000 views and 1,100,000 likes. It has also been retweeted 417,600 times. Salah has posted the same video on Instagram, where it has over 54,000,000 views and 475,000 shares.
Through just social media alone, Mo Salah has reached over 225M people. So his message has certainly been heard, but the much more important question remains- will it lead to any meaningful action?
Mo Salah’s video calling for humanitarian aid for Gaza has 206K retweets, 455K likes and 46.6M views in just over an hour.
It’s crazy how big his influence and reach is. One of those rare figures who transcends football ??? pic.twitter.com/uaFZXNEcOI
— Anfield Edition (@AnfieldEdition) October 18, 2023
Salah is the face of Liverpool football club, and some would argue, the Premier League itself.
The current Israel-Hamas War is yet another tragic chapter in the long running tale of the Israel-Palestine conflict.
Covering that is far beyond the scope of this post, but if you wish to learn more about its history, back to the beginning of the 20th century, watch the video below.
If you want to learn even more, and go back even further, to the ancient historical roots of this seemingly never ending conflict, watch this video below.
Again this is all very complicated, and way more serious than mere football.
Hopefully, those with the power to make peace here share Salah’s belief that “humanity must prevail.”
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He’s written for numerous publications, including the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. He regularly appears on NTD News and WGN News Now. Follow the website on Twitter and Instagram.