Egyptian-born Liverpool striker Mo Salah has come under fire for being embraced by a model in his most recent magazine cover photo, which some believe draws attention to societal inequalities.

Salah and Alessandra Ambrosio, a former Victoria’s Secret Angel, are featured on the cover of GQ Middle East.

While they are depicted side by side in the original, Ambrosio is seen embracing him from behind in the controversial second version.

A group chuckle is captured in a behind-the-scenes film featuring the performers.

The majority of comments, especially those from Egypt, focused on Salah’s acceptance by the model in spite of the fact that he is a married Muslim man who grew up in an Orthodox household.

“Imagine if a married Muslim woman did this,” a Twitter user remarked.

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People were so preoccupied with the incident that they either forgot to congratulate the Liverpool player on winning GQ’s Man of the Year award for 2019 or chose not to.

Salah was inundated with angry followers who questioned his morality and criticized him for the photographs after the two covers were posted on his social media sites.

One person on Instagram wrote, “You should be ashamed of yourself as a Muslim.”

Jokes concerning Salah’s marriage falling apart or collapsing were frequent in the comments. Tens of millions of people follow the football player globally, but he hasn’t responded to the criticism as of yet.

Salah’s pictures were immediately linked to those of well-known Egyptian ladies who had been subjected to even harsher penalties for deeds deemed immoral. Actress Rania Youssef faced the possibility of a five-year prison sentence when she chose to attend a red carpet event wearing a dress that showed off her upper thighs and legs.

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Salah uploads candid images of himself on social media on a regular basis; his Instagram profile is replete with them. On the other hand, the GQ controversy draws attention to his difficult balancing act between his identities as a Muslim, an Egyptian, and a well-known figure with a substantial fan base outside of the Arab world.

Supporters of the striker questioned why the player was being criticised, claiming that the picture shoot with Ambrosio was appropriate because the player was now both a local celebrity in Egypt and an international A-lister.