Explained: Egypt's Salah targeted with lasers during World Cup play-off — what's the controversy all about

Senegal qualified for the FIFA World Cup 2022 after beating Egypt in the the World Cup Qualifier Play-Off tie on Tuesday. The thrilling second leg went into penalties after Senegal won the second leg 1-0 at home and the tie finished 1-1 after extra time.

Liverpool’s Sadio Mane converted their crucial fifth penalty kick to send Senegal fans into a frenzy as Egypt failed to qualify for the World Cup. At the other end, Mane’s Liverpool teammate Mohamed Salah was one of the Egypt players who missed his penalty during the shootout.

The tie, however, was marred by controversy as the Egypt players were targeted with lasers during the shootout.

What exactly happened?

As Egypt captain Salah stepped up to take a penalty in the shootout, his face was painted green with laser beams being flashed on his face by the Senegal fans from the stands. He ended up blazing his kick over the crossbar.

Mohamed Salah before his penalty miss against Senegal. pic.twitter.com/szlmfxDJkN

— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) March 29, 2022

As some of the tweets below point out, it wasn’t just a case during the penalty shootout but the laser pointers were used throughout the match. The incident generated a lot of criticism not just from fans but journalists as well and those laser beams might have played a part in distracting Salah.

I mean, just look at this. Salah sails his penalty over… and surely anybody would, given the lasers.

Mane scores, Senegal wins the shootout, Egypt out of the World Cup pic.twitter.com/tgHmCmW8uu

— Henry Bushnell (@HenryBushnell) March 29, 2022

Another shot of the lasers from earlier

(brilliant work from the cameramen/producers in Dakar as well) pic.twitter.com/H6qx7ORFnr

— Henry Bushnell (@HenryBushnell) March 29, 2022

What are laser pointers and why do fans use them?

A laser pointer is a small hand-held device which produces coherent beam of monochromatic light using diode laser and a power source (generally batteries). They are usually used to highlight an object by illuminating it with a bright spot of light. Fans use laser pointers to gain an unfair advantage for their teams. They are used for irritating and distracting the players and officials which could influence the state of play.

Has this happened in the past in a football match?

Yes, there have been instances of laser beam being used to distract players in the past. In 2016 World Cup, Russia coach Fabio Capello blamed a laser beam for their ouster from the tournament. The incident took place in the clash against Algeria in the group stage. Algeria’s Islam Slimani scored a goal in the 60th minute to level the scores after Russia had taken a 1-0 lead. However, in the build-up to the goal, Russian goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev was ‘blinded’ by a laser beam pointed from the stands. The match ended in a draw, knocking out Russia while Algeria progressed.

“There are pictures. You can see that in the footage. This not an excuse, it is a fact. There was a laser. I have never come up with excuses to get by in my entire life,” Capello said after the match.

Recently, England were charged for their fans’ behaviour in their Euro 2020 semi-final win over Denmark at the Wembley Stadium. The charges included use of laser pointer by fans, disturbance caused during Denmark’s national anthem and use of fireworks. Photos in the British press showed the green light of a laser being pointed at Schmeichel’s face just before Harry Kane’s extra-time penalty.

Schmeichel saved the penalty but Kane scored on the rebound and sent England into its first major tournament final in 55 years.

World’s best footballers — Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi — have been targeted on a handful of occasions by laser beams in the past. In 2013, in a pair of matches between Real Madrid and Barcelona , laser lights were pointed at Messi and Ronaldo’s faces seemingly to distract them on the field. In 2008, French club Lyon were fined £2,520 after Ronaldo was targeted by laser pen during Manchester United’s Champions League tie against Lyon. A green laser beam was aimed at Messi’s eyes during Argentina’s 2015 Copa America quarter-final win over Colombia. There have been many such instances of laser attacks in the past.

Are laser pointers allowed in the football stadiums?

No. In their Stadium Safety and Security Regulations, FIFA prohibits lasers and any item that could distract the players and/or officials, including items that produce excessive volumes of noise. Also the security checks should verify that a person “is not in possession of any other dangerous objects that may not, for legal reasons, be taken into the stadium, including aggressive or racist banners.”

Has Egypt done anything about this incident?

It might not be directly related to the laser incident but the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) has filed an official complaint against its Senegalese counterpart for violent and “racist” fan behaviour, according to a statement released Wednesday.

According to the EFA’s statement, “the Egyptian team was subjected to racism as crowds held up offensive banners in the stands, particularly against team captain Mohamed Salah”.

The complaint also cites players being pelted with water bottles and stones during their warm-up.

Photos released by the EFA show broken windows on the bus carrying the players, banners of insults against Salah, and Senegal supporters making profane gestures at the players.

Along with the official complaint, social media in Egypt has been flooded with photos of Liverpool striker Salah’s face obscured by a barrage of green laser pointers as he took a botched penalty.

Many Egyptian fans have blamed Salah’s wayward spot-kick on the lasers, though others have pointed out Egypt supporters often use the same tactic against visiting teams in Cairo.

What action can be taken?

As mentioned above, several football federations have been fined in the past and Senegal football federation could face a fine as well. According to FIFA’S disciplinary code , “All associations and clubs are liable for inappropriate behaviour on the part of one or more of their supporters as stated below and may be subject to disciplinary measures and directives even if they can prove the absence of any negligence in relation to the organisation of the match:

a) the invasion or attempted invasion of the field of play; b) the throwing of objects; c) the lighting of fireworks or any other objects; d) the use of laser pointers or similar electronic devices; e) the use of gestures, words, objects or any other means to transmit a message that is not appropriate for a sports event, particularly messages that are of a political, ideological, religious or offensive nature; f) acts of damage; g) causing a disturbance during national anthems; h) any other lack of order or discipline observed in or around the stadium.”

With inputs from AFP

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