Egypt expel Warda from camp for sexual harassment

Egypt have removed striker Amr Warda from their Africa Cup of Nations squad after he was accused of sexual harassment by a number of women.

The Egyptian-British model Merhan Keller alleged that Warda, 25, had sent her inappropriate and aggressive messages.

Keller then followed up her claims by sharing testimonies from a number of other women who’d contacted her saying they too received unwanted messages from the footballer.

Screenshots of messages and videos allegedly sent by Warda to women on Instagram were shared on Twitter, with his alleged misbehaviour becoming the top trending subject in Egypt.

Some messages showed how Warda became aggressive when women rejected his advances.

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Calls for the Egyptian Football Association to take action grew and president Hany Abo Rida confirmed on Wednesday that Warda had been removed from the squad for their home tournament.

Egypt, who have Liverpool star Mohamed Salah in their squad, will play the remainder of the tournament with just 22 players.

The president said the decision had been made after consultations with the team’s technical and administrative staff and was ‘in keeping with the team’s discipline, commitment and focus’.

Warda, who plays for Greek club Atromitos on loan from PAOK, had previously been accused of harassing a fashion model on Instagram and a complaint against him had been filed at Egypt’s Attorney General.

The decision to exclude the 25-year-old forward, who played for Egypt at the World Cup in Russia last year, came hours before they were to meet the DR Congo in Cairo in their second Africa Cup of Nations fixture.

He had come on as a substitute in last Friday’s opening game, a 1-0 win over Zimbabwe.