They're often referred to as "Salah's Egypt," and it's easy to see why.
Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah has scored five of Egypt's seven goals in World Cup qualifying, but none so crucial as his injury-time penalty on Sunday that earned the Pharaohs a spot at next year's World Cup in Russia.
Egypt's Mohamed Salah celebrates defeating Congo during the 2018 World Cup group E qualifying soccer match at the Borg El Arab Stadium in Alexandria, Egypt, Sunday, Oct. 8, 2017. Egypt won 2-1. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty)
"I thank you Mohamed," President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi said Monday in a televised ceremony with the national team. "I thank you all, of course, but Mohamed was under a great deal of pressure from 100 million Egyptians. He had to convert for us to win."
The 25-year-old Salah had already given his team the lead against the Republic of Congo in the 63rd minute, slotting home after collecting a through pass from Arsenal midfielder Mohamed Elneny. But after the visitors equalized just before the end of regulation, it was Salah that produced Egypt's 2-1 victory.
Had the match ended in a 1-1 draw, Egypt would have faced the formidable task of beating Ghana away in the group's final round next month to be sure of qualification. Instead, Egypt will be headed back to the World Cup for the first time since 1990.
With Liverpool, Salah has scored six goals in all competitions so far in his first season with the English team. He has for years been a favorite with fans in soccer-crazed Egypt, but his two goals on Sunday have elevated him to a national hero. To fans, he almost single-handedly ended the grief and frustration millions of Egyptians endured every time they came so agonizingly close to qualifying for the World Cup only to falter at the last hurdle.
Egypt's Mohamed Salah, center, celebrates with his teammates after defeating Congo during the 2018 World Cup group E qualifying soccer match between Egypt and Congo at the Borg El Arab Stadium in Alexandria, Egypt, Sunday, Oct. 8, 2017. Egypt won 2-1. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty)
Fans took to social media to post collages of Salah dressed as a king and others devised a play on words for "Sabah el-kheir," Arabic for good morning, by changing it to "Salah el-kheir." On Facebook, fans wrote: "Salah for president."
Salah is one of a crop of young Egyptian players earning a living with European clubs, including three others in the Premier League. But Salah is by far the most popular, partially because he is a goal scorer, but mostly because of his passion and dedication.
That was on display Sunday. Salah fell to his knees in anguish and then laid face down on the ground after the Republic of Congo equalized. But he got back on his feet moments later, collected the ball and rallied his teammates. He then turned to the capacity crowd of 30,000, gesturing to continue rooting for the team.
"May God make you happy Salah just as you made all Egyptians happy," former Egypt international Hazem Emam, one of the country's greats, wrote on Twitter.
Happy they were.
Egypt's Mohamed Salah celebrates after defeating Congo during the 2018 World Cup group E qualifying soccer match at the Borg El Arab Stadium in Alexandria, Egypt, Sunday, Oct. 8, 2017. Egypt won 2-1. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty)
The win sent hundreds of thousands of Egyptians celebrating across the country until the early hours of Monday morning. They waved the country's white, red and black flag, honked cars and yelled "Egypt! Egypt!"
It was a welcome break for a nation that has been roiled in turmoil for most of the six years since a popular uprising, with the vast majority now struggling to make ends meet in the face of soaring prices, higher utility bills and crumbling services and security forces fighting to contain an insurgency by Islamic militants.
That turmoil has affected the soccer team, which failed to qualify for three straight African Cups from 2012-15 before making a return this year. Argentine coach Hector Cuper led Egypt to the African Cup final in February on that return, eventually losing to Cameroon.
"Did you see what you have done to Egyptians in just over an hour?" el-Sissi told the squad on Monday. "Everyone is happy."
LIMA, Peru (AP) — Peruvian President Dina Boluarte was interrogated by prosecutors for five hours Friday as authorities investigate whether she illegally received hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash, luxury watches and jewelry.
Prosecutors have been investigating the highly unpopular leader on charges of illicit enrichment and failure to declare assets. After she gave testimony, Boluarte rolled out of the offices in a car with tinted windows, surrounded by police and security detail.
In a televised speech following the meeting, Boluarte responded to the allegations saying “everything they've said is false.” She flaunted one of her Rolex watches and a number of other golden bracelets and necklaces that spurred on the controversy, holding them up for the cameras and railing against critics.
“With respect to the watches, I should recognize that it was a mistake to have accepted (them) on loan,” she said. "As these watches are not my property, I was not obliged to declare them.”
While she said some of the jewelry was hers, she said she received the watches as a loan from Wilfredo Oscorima, the governor of the southern rural region of Ayacucho.
Boluarte's statements Friday appear to directly contradict previous comments she made saying the Rolex watches were “fruit of my labor,” working since she was 18.
The unfolding scandal is the latest turmoil that has wracked Peru’s political system in recent years.
The probe began in mid-March after the digital news program La Encerrona spotlighted Boluarte wearing a Rolex watch worth up to $14,000 in Peru. Other TV shows later reported that the leader was seen wearing at least two other Rolexes as well as a gold and diamond Cartier bracelet estimated to cost more than $54,000.
The controversy was quickly dubbed “Rolexgate” on social media.
Peruvian law requires officials to declare jewelry whose price exceeds $2,791, and it’s still not clear where the watches and hundreds of thousands of dollars in bank transfers came from.
The controversy will only add headwinds for Boluarte, who is unpopular with 86% of Peruvians, according to a March survey by the Institute of Peruvian Studies.
“She has no good governance, she’s rejected by the majority, her problems with the people are very serious,” said Alonso Cárdenas, political science professor at Peru’s Antonio Ruiz de Montoya University.
Earlier on Friday, scuffles broke out as opposing protesters gathered near the building, waiting for Boluarte to leave.
While a number of protestors came to defend the president carrying a sign reading “Dina resist,” others blocks away from the presidential palace railed against the embattled leader, carrying brooms and shouting “get them all out!” They were blocked by riot police, who drove them away with tear gas.
Last week, armed police officers broke down the front door of Boluarte’s house with a battering ram and entered the property to search for the watches. They did not find them, and moved on to the presidential palace, where they also weren't located.
Top prosecutor Juan Villena had said his office was expanding the scope of the investigation, given that investigators believe Boluarte has even more undeclared assets than they originally suspected.
The office estimated that her jewelry, including the Cartier bracelet and watches, may be worth as much as $500,000, and said she received more than $400,000 in “deposits of unknown origin” into her bank account.
Boluarte, a 61-year-old lawyer, was a modest district official before entering then-President Pedro Castillo’s government as vice president and social inclusion minister with a total monthly salary of $8,136 in July 2021. She became president in December 2022 — after Parliament dismissed Castillo — with a salary of $4,200 per month. Shortly after, she began wearing the watches in public.
The Andean nation is no stranger to political tumult. Peru has had six presidents in six years, following waves of political controversies. That doesn't mean Boluarte is soon to be ejected from the presidency. Analysts told The Associated Press she is unlikely to face any real consequences – at least in the short term. Sitting presidents in Peru can’t be charged with crimes while in office, and Congress will be reluctant to move forward with impeachment proceedings.
Boluarte's alliance with a coalition of congressional leaders means she will likely stay in office until 2026, said Will Freeman, a fellow of Latin American studies for the Council of Foreign Relations. Freeman says Boluarte is a “puppet” who has enabled the lawmakers to pass reforms that are slowly “dismantling democracy” so that they can stay in power.
Peru’s Congress on Thursday shot down two requests by a number of lawmakers to remove Boluarte from office. Boluarte called the motions “absurd” on Friday and thanked the congress for shooting them down.
Janetsky contributed to this report from Mexico City.
Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america
Peru's President Dina Boluarte holds up her hand to show the ring and bracelet she is wearing, during a press conference at Government Palace, in Lima, Peru, Friday, April 5, 2024. Authorities are investigating on whether she illegally received hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash, luxury watches and jewelry. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia)
Peru's President Dina Boluarte waves as she arrives to attend a press conference at Government Palace in Lima, Peru, Friday, April 5, 2024. Authorities are investigating on whether she illegally received hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash, luxury watches and jewelry. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia)
Peru's President Dina Boluarte points to the earrings she is wearing, during a press conference at Government Palace, in Lima, Peru, Friday, April 5, 2024. Authorities are investigating on whether she illegally received hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash, luxury watches and jewelry. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia)
Peru's President Dina Boluarte shows her necklace, accompanied by her lawyers Mateo Castaneda, left, and Eduardo Barriga, during a press conference at Government Palace in Lima, Peru, Friday, April 5, 2024. Authorities are investigating on whether she illegally received hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash, luxury watches and jewelry. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia)
Peru's President Dina Boluarte shows her jewelry during a press conference at Government Palace in Lima, Peru, Friday, April 5, 2024. Authorities are investigating on whether she illegally received hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash, luxury watches and jewelry. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia)
FILE - Peru's President Dina Boluarte talks to the press at the end of the Amazon Summit in Belem, Brazil, Aug. 8, 2023. Boluarte testified to prosecutors behind closed doors Friday, April 5, 2024, as authorities investigate whether she illegally received hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash, luxury watches and jewelry. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres, File)
Pedestrians walk past the public prosecutor's office where Peruvian President Dina Boluarte arrived to testify, in Lima, Peru, Friday, April 5, 2024. Authorities are investigating on whether she illegally received hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash, luxury watches and jewelry. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia)
Police stand guard in the perimeters of the public prosecutor's office where Peruvian President Dina Boluarte arrived to testify, in Lima, Peru, Friday, April 5, 2024. Authorities are investigating on whether she illegally received hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash, luxury watches and jewelry. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia)
People run for cover as police launch tear gas to disperse demonstrators trying to reach Government Palace to demand the resignation of President Dina Boluarte, in Lima, Peru, Friday, April 5, 2024. Boluarte testified to prosecutors behind closed doors Friday as authorities investigate whether she illegally received hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash, luxury watches and jewelry. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia)
People run for cover as police launch tear gas to disperse demonstrators trying to reach Government Palace to demand the resignation of President Dina Boluarte, in Lima, Peru, Friday, April 5, 2024. Boluarte testified to prosecutors behind closed doors Friday as authorities investigate whether she illegally received hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash, luxury watches and jewelry. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia)
People run for cover as police launch tear gas to disperse demonstrators trying to reach Government Palace to demand the resignation of President Dina Boluarte, in Lima, Peru, Friday, April 5, 2024. Boluarte testified to prosecutors behind closed doors Friday as authorities investigate whether she illegally received hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash, luxury watches and jewelry. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia)
Police and prosecutors stand outside President Dina Boluarte's house during a raid aimed at seizing luxury watches as part of a preliminary investigation into alleged illicit enrichment in Lima, Peru, Saturday, March 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia)
