Mohamed Salah teammate spotted making money gesture at AFCON refs after Egypt elimination

Egypt was beaten in the semi-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations, and one of Mohamed Salah's teammates appeared to accuse the match officials of accepting bribes after the final whistle

Mohamed Salah of Egypt(Image: Ulrik Pedersen/NurPhoto)

One of Mohamed Salah's teammates was seen making money gestures in the direction of the officials after Egypt's defeat by Senegal in the Africa Cup of Nations semi-final.

Egypt was beaten 1-0, with former Liverpool forward Sadio Mane — a teammate of Salah's at Liverpool for five years — scoring the winning goal as the game approached the 80-minute mark.

Shortly after the final whistle, Egypt player Marwan Attia approached the match officials and began rubbing his fingers together before appearing to brush imaginary money out of his hands.

It is unclear whether Attia will face punishment for appearing to accuse the officials of accepting bribes.

As for Salah, he must remain in Morocco ahead of Egypt, contesting the third-place play-off against Nigeria on Saturday.

That means he will miss Liverpool's Premier League meeting with Burnley this weekend, while it is not clear whether he will be available for the Champions League trip to Marseille next Wednesday.

Egypt is the most successful nation in Afcon history, but its last title came in 2010 – the year before Salah made his senior international debut.

Salah must now wait until 2027 for another chance to get his hands on the trophy, and one suspects he won't have too many more bites at the cherry given his age.

Salah could barely have done more for Egypt at this tournament, scoring or assisting five of Egypt's nine goals en route to the semifinal.

The 33-year-old still has a chance to end the competition as the tournament's top scorer, too. He currently has four goals, level with Nigeria striker Victor Osimhen and one behind Morocco's Brahim Diaz.

Osimhen and Diaz are still in the tournament, so they could still add to their tallies over the weekend.

Senegal's matchwinner Mane paid tribute to former Liverpool teammate Salah, who had said prior to the game that the Africa Cup of Nations was "the title I am waiting for" after winning virtually all there is to win at club level with Liverpool.

Speaking to BBC World Service after the game, Mane said of 33-year-old Salah: "It is not easy for him — but still best of luck. He did everything to carry his team until now. Unfortunately, one of us had to [lose]. I'm happy [to be] in the final."