Why Salah not celebrating shows a lack of respect

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - APRIL 24: Mohamed Salah of Liverpool celebrates as he scores his sides second goal with Roberto Firmino during the UEFA Champions League Semi Final First Leg match between Liverpool and A.S. Roma at Anfield on April 24, 2018 in Liverpool, United Kingdom. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - APRIL 24: Mohamed Salah of Liverpool celebrates as he scores his sides second goal with Roberto Firmino during the UEFA Champions League Semi Final First Leg match between Liverpool and A.S. Roma at Anfield on April 24, 2018 in Liverpool, United Kingdom. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images) /
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Mohamed Salah refusing to celebrate his Champions League goals against Roma shows a lack of respect.

Yes yes it’s a class move by a former player blagh blagh blagh and it shows off what a good, all round chap Salah is. But there is something that doesn’t sit right about it.

The very notion of a non-celebration celebration is the apology. It’s all there in the body language. Hands are cast up in a way that suggests he really wishes he didn’t have to score that goal and fulfil the dreams of thousands of fans.

Salah’s head is pointed towards the ground, his eyes are closed. He looks more like a regretful teenager getting told off by his parents than a supremely gifted athlete with the world at his feet.

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Never mind annoying those away fans, how about you pay respect to the home fans. Football is such a fleeting game, moments are gone in an instant and players move between clubs so regularly that this sort of gesture is futile.

It would make more sense if Salah was born and bred in the shadow of Roma. If he was brought through their youth ranks, was developed and tutored and cared for and loved the club with every fiber of his being then yes, show that respect.

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But come on. You’ve just scored the goals and could take you to a Champions League final. Show the emotion of Roberto Firmino behind you. He doesn’t have a care in the world. There is pure joy, pure adulation coursing through his veins. Salah just looks like the man who has been forced to poo in his own hands and clap.

This isn’t to be confused with why he chose not to celebrate. Showing respect isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but there are other ways it can be brought about. Going into the changing rooms after the game for a chat would have been a nice gesture. This is misguided.

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Choosing not to celebrate such a vital moment in your own team’s history forgets one thing – it shows a sign of disrespect. The way to hell is paved with good intentions, and this is another brick in the road.