The 25-year-old Warda was excluded ahead of Wednesday’s 2-0 victory over the Democratic Republic of Congo after sexual harassment claims surfaced earlier this week on social media platforms. Multiple women posted screenshots and testimonies of Warda’s alleged lewd comments, as well as explicit videos attributed to the player. “Hani Abou Rida recognised the spirit of solidarity between the players and their wish to forgive their team-mate Amr Warda,” the Egyptian FA added. A lot of internet users, including women, took to his defence while the “team of harassers” hashtag, in Arabic, was the most shared in Egypt on Friday according to Twitter. Faced with calls for leniency towards Warda, other internet users denounced a double standard in a country where several women and homosexuals are imprisoned for “inciting debauchery”.

Source: The Guardian June 28, 2019 11:15 UTC