""As Liverpool supporters we love him, but as Arabs and Africans, it's even more," says Otto Mellouki. He believes Liverpool's third top goal scorer of all-time has "paid the price" with the fallout from last weekend's explosive interview, and said: "He's made a mistake. Let's just move on." The Moroccan-born businessman adds: "Don't forget, Salah - he's an Arab, he's hot-blooded. You know it's going to come out but really his heart is clean and I don't think he meant what he said.""
""On Friday Liverpool confirmed Salah would be in the Reds' squad to face Brighton in the Premier League on Saturday. Mr Mellouki, originally from Casablanca, moved to Liverpool at the age of 18 and helps run Bakchich restaurant on Bold Street, which hosted Salah and his wife for a meal following his arrival at the club in 2017. "He's wasn't that famous then. He'd just signed up for Liverpool but he was very humble, polite.""
Members of Liverpool's Arab community want Mohamed Salah to remain at Liverpool despite a recent controversial interview. Community leaders describe his impact as unifying across Arab and African populations. Otto Mellouki recalls Salah as humble upon arrival and views recent remarks as a heat-of-the-moment mistake. Salah's goal celebrations, public prayers, and charitable actions boosted his global profile and broke down cultural barriers. Liverpool confirmed Salah would be in the squad to face Brighton. The city has about 8,000 residents of Arab origin and roughly 5% Muslim population, and immigration shapes Liverpool's social fabric.
Read at www.bbc.com
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