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What will Abramovic do?

He hasn’t even been granted a work permit, neither has he passed medical at Chelsea, but a potential problem has reared its head that could make the signing a rather uncomfortable one for Mohamed Salah and Billionaire owner Roman Abramovich.

Salah did not only make comments about Isreal and refused to shake hands with Isreali players when Basel played Maccabi Tel Aviv in the qualifying rounds of the Champions League last summer, but he also made comment about the country, which has been at loggerheads with his native Egypt for generations.

In the first leg, in Switzerland, Salah seemingly dodged the issue by conspicuously changing his boots on the sidelines while the handshakes were going on.

The player was criticised for his actions in the Swiss press, but did not back down – and reportedly even asked to be left out of the side for the return match in Tel Aviv.

TV cameras zoomed in mercilessly on Salah as the teams lined up for the handshake – and the 21-year-old proceeded to fist-bump his opponents rather than offer the more traditional handshake.

You can make whatever you will of Salah’s actions – but the issue for the player isn’t what you think. It’s what Roman Abramovich thinks.

That’s because Chelsea‘s billionaire owner is himself Jewish, and a generous supporter of a number of projects in Israel. Will he be angry that Salah has beeen signed up? Will there be an uncomfortable silence whenever the two bump into each other on match days? Or will Abramovich, like his new player, decide to try and keep sport and politics apart? Only time will tell.