The Liverpool and Egypt footballer Mohamed Salah has accused the Egyptian Football Association of hampering the country’s World Cup preparations in Russia earlier this summer by flying in celebrities to the team’s hotel.

In two videos that escalated a months-long row with the EFA, Salah defended a letter sent by his lawyer Ramy Abass that listed seven demands, including increased personal security and regulation of his public appearances and photo opportunities during international competitions.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Fans hold a poster supporting Mohamed Salah before Egypt’s match against Saudi Arabia at the Volgograd Arena. Photograph: Darko Vojinovic/AP

“I asked for more security for all players, not only for me,” Salah said. “We had many disturbances at the team’s camp during our participation at the World Cup in Russia. I couldn’t go to the restaurant twice as they told me you won’t be able to go there for your own safety due to the crowd inside the hotel.”. Salah added that he was frequently disturbed by guests coming to his room and wanting to talk.

Salah is hugely popular in Egypt for propelling the football team to their first World Cup finals almost 30 years. But in April he fell out with the EFA after it used an unauthorised image of him next to a rival sponsor on the team’s plane, which Salah labelled “a major insult”.

Tensions flared again when the Egyptian team arrived at their World Cup training base in Chechnya. The region’s leader, Ramzan Kadyrov, has been heavily criticised for human rights abuses, including persecution of LGBTQ people. Salah was photographed at an awkward meeting with Kadyrov, where he was awarded honorary Chechen citizenship.

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The arrival of a celebrity delegation at the team’s training ground to celebrate their success was criticised for potentially disturbing the players. “The team’s stay must not turn into a village wedding ceremony. Shame on you! We are outraged!” said one local football expert.

The dispute continued after the tournament, when Salah accused the EFA of ignoring a letter of demands from his lawyer. “Do you not have time to respond to us?!” he tweeted.

Magdy Abdelghani, an EFA official, told a local television channel he had not spoken to Salah since the World Cup because his “WhatsApp number changes all the time”.

