Egyptian Goalkeeper Rejects Man of the Match Award Because It's Sponsored by Budweiser
Egyptian goalkeeper Mohamed El-Shenawy, who was sensational for Egypt even in a losing effort against Uruguay, turned down the Man of the Match trophy on Sunday, June 17. His reason — Budweiser, the sponsor for the award, is a promoter of alcoholic drinks that are generally forbidden by Islam.
The trophy itself does not come with alcohol, but for El-Shenawy, the goblet shape of the award plus the official sponsorship by Budweiser may have associated the Man of the Match award with intoxicating beverages, things that are at odds with his religion, as the Sun pointed out.
El-Shenawy frustrated Uruguay's Luis Suarez and his team time and again, making save after save to keep Egypt's hopes alive in what turned out to be a long-drawn match that eventually resulted in Egypt's loss from a goal by Jose Gimenez at the 89th minute, according to Lad Bible.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
Uruguay won 1–0, and would likely have prevailed sooner if not for the heroics by El-Shenawy.
Marwan Ahmed for the Egyptian sports news outlet KingFut captured a snapshot of El-Sehnawy turning down the award, which he posted on social media on Saturday. As Ahmed took to social media to share the moment, he also took the time to note that there are three North African nations that will likely turn down any Budweiser-sponsored awards as well, and there are players from Saudi and Iran, too.
"Did they not think these guys won't accept the award?" Ahmed asked.
Other Muslim players that are likely to win a Man of the Match award include France's Paul Pogba and Germany's Mesut Ozil, and it's likely that they will turn down any trophies linked to Budweiser as well.
The Premier League has already stopped the practice of giving out alcohol with awards, after a series of awkward refusals from Muslim stars over the years.
