The footballer, dubbed the Egyptian king, posted images of himself on Tuesday to social media on a boat with several freshly caught exotic fish off the coast of the Rea Sea resort town of El-Gouna.

But a senior Egyptian environmental official told local newspaper Al-Watan that authorities have put in place a fishing ban in the area between April and October.

"I am sure he didn't know anything about the decision," said Mahmoud Salem of the General Authority for Fish Resources Development.

"If he had known, he wouldn't have done it because he doesn't do wrong things… and it's Mohammed Salah after all," he added.

A local fisherman told the newspaper that one of the fish was a rare species that can only found in the deep waters of the Red Sea.

Salah is currently on an extended holiday before he joins the Egyptian national team in the African Cup, which set to kick off later this month in Cairo.

Earlier this month, Salah was prevented from praying at a mosque in his home village for Eid when journalists and fans swarmed outside his house.

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