One of Egypt's top football clubs has excluded
its player from a competition for publicly
showing support for ousted President
Mohammed Morsi.
Al Ahly said Ahmed Abdul Zaher would not go to next
month's Fifa Club World Cup in Morocco after he
gave a four-fingered salute on Sunday.
The striker was celebrating his goal in the final of the
African Champions League, which Al Ahly won 2-0.
The gesture has become a symbol of solidarity with
Mr Morsi.
It commemorates a Cairo sit-in by supporters of the
Islamist president which was violently dispersed by
the security forces in August, leading to the deaths of
hundreds of people.
Mr Morsi - Egypt's first democratically elected
president - is currently on trial on charges of inciting
the killing of protesters during clashes in the capital
last year. He was ousted in July.
'Grave insult'
Abdul Zaher celebrated with the four-finger gesture
(Rabaa) after scoring the second goal in Al Ahly's
2-0 win over South Africa's Orlando Pirates.
"Yes, I raised the sign of Rabaa," he was quoted as
saying by Egypt's football website FilGoal.
"But I didn't mean political excitement to any one
side or fan. All I meant to do was to remember the
dead, whether in Rabaa, any other citizen and even
policemen.''
On Monday, Al Ahly officials said he would be
excluded from the squad for the Morocco
competition.
Meanwhile, Egyptian Sports Minister Taher Abu Zeid
said the player's "grave insult" could not go
unpunished.
The minister said he was confident that both the club
and the Egyptian Football Association would take
action.
Abdul Zaher is the second leading Egyptian
sportsman to be penalised for publicly backing Mr
Morsi, the BBC's Orla Guerin in Cairo reports.
Last month, champion kung fu fighter
Mohammed Youssef
was banned from competing at home and abroad for
two years after using the same gesture at a medal
ceremony.
The move added to growing concerns about freedom
of speech under Egypt's new military-backed
government. www.oseni9ja..com/2013/11/egypt-footballer-suspended-over-morsi.html?m=1

How Democratic!