Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane in heated AFCON incident sparking furious bust-up | Football | Sport

Former Liverpool team-mates Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane were at the centre of a touchline fracas that resulted in a suspension during their AFCON showdown. As Mane attempted to evade tackles, he was taken down by Salah, with the Reds winger visibly irate at the decision. This reaction was mirrored on the sidelines as both the Senegal and Egypt coaches had to be separated following some pushing and shoving.

In the ensuing melee, Habib Diarra was shown a yellow card and will miss either the third-place play-off or final, depending on whether Senegal progress, due to suspension. Kalidou Koulibaly found himself in a similar predicament after receiving a booking, but the Senegal captain was forced to leave the pitch shortly after his caution due to an injury.

The first 45 minutes of the semi-final between Egypt and Senegal were fraught with tension, with Salah kept under wraps, though Mane posed a significant threat.

He had 40 touches in the first half, created two opportunities and made three passes into the final third. In contrast, Salah managed just 15 touches, with his most notable contribution being the foul on Mane.

Although they didn’t come to blows following the incident, it’s clear there’s no love lost between the two Liverpool legends, with palpable tension between them on the pitch.

Despite this, Salah and Mane were seen embracing and briefly exchanging words in the tunnel just moments before the clash between Egypt and Senegal.

Roberto Firmino, who operated between the pair for several seasons, lifted the lid on their professional tensions in his memoir ‘Si Senor: My Liverpool Years’.

The Brazilian revealed: “I knew those guys very well, maybe better than anyone. It was me out there on the field, right in the middle of them. I saw first-hand the looks, the grimaces, the body language, the dissatisfaction when one was mad at the other.

“I could feel it. I was the link between them in our attacking play and the firefighter in those moments. For many, that disagreement [against Burnley] between Sadio and Mo was the first; for some, the first and last.

“But I knew it had been brewing since the previous season, 2018-19. My instinct and my duty was to defuse the situation between them. Pour water on the fire, never petrol.”

Firmino continued: “They were never best friends; each kept himself to himself. It was rare to see the two of them talking and I’m not sure if that had to do with the Egypt-Senegal rivalry in African competitions.

“I truly don’t know. But they also never stopped talking, never severed ties. They always acted with the utmost professionalism. I never took sides. That’s why they love me: I always passed the ball to both; my preference was for the team’s victory.”