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2w ago

Mohamed Salah Presses UEFA for Details of Palestinian Footballer’s Death

Rallying support from public figures, Salah’s plea highlights UEFA’s silence beyond its brief tribute coupled with a private condolence letter.

Doaa, the widow of late soccer player Suleiman Al-Obeid, known as the "Palestinian Pele," who was killed by an Israeli strike targeting people waiting for humanitarian aid, according to the Palestine Football Association, shows a picture of him on a mobile phone inside their tent in Gaza City August 9, 2025. REUTERS/Ebrahim Hajjaj
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Doaa, the widow of late soccer player Suleiman Al-Obeid, known as the "Palestinian Pele," who was killed by an Israeli strike targeting people waiting for humanitarian aid, according to the Palestine Football Association, looks at his picture while holding his shorts, as her son sits beside her inside their tent in Gaza City August 9, 2025. REUTERS/Ebrahim Hajjaj

Overview

  • Salah publicly asked UEFA to explain how, where and why former Palestinian striker Suleiman al-Obeid died, critiquing its tribute for omitting his killing by Israeli forces at a Gaza aid distribution.
  • UEFA has not issued any new public comment since its X post praising Al-Obeid as the “Palestinian Pelé” and Ceferin’s condolence letter to the Palestine Football Association.
  • Prominent figures including Jeremy Corbyn and Gary Lineker endorsed Salah’s demand for transparency in what has become a viral social media debate.
  • Al-Obeid, a Gaza City native who scored more than 100 career goals and earned 24 caps for Palestine, was 41 when he was fatally shot while waiting for humanitarian aid.
  • The incident has intensified scrutiny of how international sports bodies address civilian casualties in the Gaza humanitarian crisis, where hundreds of aid seekers have died since October 2023.