• Liverpool forward presented with order at celebratory dinner • Egyptian FA has been criticised for choice of World Cup base

This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

Ramzan Kadyrov has given Mohamed Salah honorary citizenship in Chechnya, taking advantage of the Liverpool forward’s short stay in Russia’s most controversial republic.

Egypt’s national team are based in Chechnya for the World Cup despite outrage from rights organisations pointing to the region’s crackdown on political opponents and a widely reported anti-gay pogrom, which Kadyrov has denied.

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The award came during an honorary banquet held for the Egypt team at Kadyrov’s palace in Grozny, a city he has rebuilt after two devastating wars, with ample support from the Kremlin.

“Mohamed Salah is an honorary citizen of the Chechen Republic! That’s right!” the Chechen leader wrote in a post released on social media, saying he had signed an official directive to that effect. “I gave Mohamed Salah a copy of the order and a pin at a celebratory dinner that I gave in honour of the Egyptian team.”

Video of the encounter released by the Russian state-funded news agency RT showed Salah smiling as Kadyrov gave a short speech and pinned a badge bearing the Chechen flag to the Liverpool forward’s shirt. Salah was also given a silver plate and a signed jersey from FC Akhmat Grozny, the football club that Kadyrov renamed in honour of his father last year.

It is not clear what Salah thought of all this. He appeared to be playing the role of polite guest, smiling when appropriate and at other times looking over at his team-mates. He did not appear to give a speech at the dinner and has not given public comments since arriving in Chechnya.

Kadyrov has angrily denounced reports that he is using Salah’s presence in Grozny to generate good publicity.

Speaking to the BBC this week, he said: “Everyone has played here, even Maradona at our stadium, but we don’t use this kind of thing for politics. Our enemies are paid to write things like that. I didn’t invite Mo Salah or the Egyptian team. They chose us themselves.”

But Kadyrov has made sure to get several pictures of himself with Salah in public. When the Egyptian footballer skipped the team’s first practice at Akhmat Arena before the tournament, Kadyrov reportedly went to his hotel in order to drive the footballer to the stadium to meet fans and take photographs on the pitch.

Photographs of the Chechen leader and Salah were also projected at the banquet dinner, where the Egyptian team clapped politely.

The Egyptian Football Association has disregarded criticism over the controversial choice of Chechnya as the team’s base for the World Cup.