- Liverpool forward is unhappy at use of his image on a plane sponsored by phone company
- Salah is sponsored by a rival telecommunications firm
CAIRO: Premier League leading scorer Mohamed Salah says he's insulted over the representation of his image amid a dispute with the Egyptian Football Association ahead of the World Cup in Russia in June.
The Egyptian soccer star is furious his image features prominently on the outside of the national team's official plane, which was provided by official sponsor WE.
Liverpool's winger, a huge celebrity in his native Egypt, has a sponsorship deal with rival telecommunications firm Vodafone.
Salah tweeted Sunday: "Sorry but this is a major insult ... I was hoping the deal would be classier than this."
“Unfortunately the way of handling this issue is very insulting.. I wished things could have been managed in a better way,” he tweeted in Arabic.
His lawyer and agent, Ramy Abbas, spoke about the issue last week, warning against authorized usage of the player’s image by any party.
But the EFA claims it has not violated any rules and accused the player’s agent of "indecent communication."
Officials at Egypt's football association did not respond to repeated phone calls requesting comment.
Ramy Abbas, Salah's agent, said he has been waiting for a response from Egyptian officials.
Salah is the English Premier League's leading goal-scorer, and a key player in Egypt's national squad heading to the World Cup in Russia.