Mohamed Salah

[tsb]

Over two months. What the ****.

[ukfootballfan101]

It might be a good thing we missed out on Salah, not only is Markovic supposed to be a better player, but Salah might be going back to Egypt to do 1-3 years of military service...

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/mohamed-salah-could-be-forced-to-return-to-egypt-to-carry-out-military-service-after-his-allowance-to-travel-abroad-is-rescinded-putting-chelsea-future-in-doubt--reports-9616654.html

[shanks69]

nothing will come of it they will probably come to a compromise and wait until he retires from playing,this sort of thing has happened before with players from other countries.

[EwarWoo]

Surely he can just refuse? No way we'd deport him to serve army time in a dicey regime.

[Fredo]

Think we had the same issue to one of our players in the past. Can't remember who it was.

[MrMichael]

I think you're right, one of the Scandinavian players?

I don't think extradition treaties will cover national service (or failure to attend it) so I doubt Salah could be deported, but if he ever wants to go back to his home country, play for his national team etc then I guess outright refusal isn't really an option and he will have to come to some arrangement over it.

[EwarWoo]

Outright refusal will no doubt be a last resort unlikely to be arrived at, however just saying if it comes down to it, he wont be going into national service.

[Gingawaria]

Think we had the same issue to one of our players in the past. Can't remember who it was.

It was Riise, think the club ended up paying the Norwegian government compensation to sort it IIRC?

[fah-q]

Del Piero had to do his national service in Italy.

James Richardson wrote about it amusingly:

"As I understand it, conscription has now been phased out in Italy, but back in those days the Italian army even had its own football team, who never really won anything - in keeping with local military traditions, one might say. They did stop short of changing sides at half-time, mind."

[paulg]

Riise served it, if my memory is correct, but it was spread out. Think it ended up being a few weeks here and a few there, spread over a couple of pre-season.

I remember his mum being interviewed about it lol.

[kev776]

So they should serve it, there are millions of others around the world who have to, so should footballers.

[paulg]

Indeed.

[Vermilion]

Think we had the same issue to one of our players in the past. Can't remember who it was.

Im know we've identified Riise, but did Benayoun do his, seem to remember some issue about him and his military service, but maybe while at another club ?

[Harv]

So they should serve it, there are millions of others around the world who have to, so should footballers.

Nobody should have to serve military ****ing service. If someone told me i had to go serve i'd tell them to stick their service up their arse and move country.

[Dhav]

I don't see why they can't give him some special dispensation so that it can be deferred until the lad's playing career is over. That's what the Cypriots did with the tennis player, Baghdatis. Then again there probably would have been a riot if the career of someone who was then the only potentially world class athlete the island has ever produced was halted at its peak so that he could serve in the army. And in Cyprus there is a culture and history of early conscription, some as young as 17 join the army. In Greece I think it is slightly different and it can be deferred until after completing university studies.