the amr warda scandal
I don't know about you, but yesterday was the first time I've ever heard about this whole ordeal. Obviously, not being a huge soccer fan is a big part of the reason, but also the fact that not a lot of people took the issue seriously when it first came out in comparison to when Warda was removed from the AFCON squad is the main reason.
Apparently, a couple days back, an Egyptian-British model called Merhan Keller posted some screenshots from her story views and DMs. The views included a couple of the Egyptian national team's player viewing her story and the DMs were from two players, one of them simply sent a heart and thumbs-up emojis, as for Warda he simply sent "Boxing ? Haha."
According to the model, when she ignored the messages, Warda attacked her saying that she doesn't know who he is or what he can do and that he can easily get her number if he wanted to, however, I personally have yet to see these screenshots.
After posting all of this, the model claims that a lot of other women came forward with their stories of Warda cyber-harassing them, even sexually. She also posted these screenshots which, again, I personally don't know whether these were her DMs or another woman's DMs, nevertheless, the messages that Warda sent here do sound aggressive and overly forceful.
After that, a Mexican model called Giovanna Val posted on twitter screenshots of WhatsApp conversations between her and Warda where he sent her nudes and explicit videos and asked her for some back. Whether this is true or edited or staged is not clear to me tho.
Other than that, multiple girls have posted their online interactions with Warda where they claim that he has sexually harassed them. (just Google "Amr Warda Messages" and you'll find them) But just like the WhatsApp screenshots of Val, it cannot be confirmed.
Up until this point, mainly fans of the 25 y/o soccer player and of the models were aware of the incident, until he was removed from the AFCON squad on Wednesday following Val's allegations. That was when people started to speak up and voice their opinions.
A lot of people were against the EFA's (Egyptian Football Association) decision of removing him from the AFCON squad, saying that everybody makes mistakes and that mistakes he makes in his personal life should not be affiliated with his job. Nevertheless, there were a lot of people who said that what he did is wrong since he is a public figure representing the Egyptian nation and should be punished for his mistakes especially since it is not the first time he has gotten entangled in sexual harassment incidents.
Also, following Keller's remarks regarding this point, people have found it weird that Warda and other members of the team all decided to view her Instagram story at the same time and think that the players might've had some sort of bet going on or that it was some sort of "locker room talk," however, this doesn't necessarily mean that this is their first time viewing it, maybe they're followers and it was coincidental for Warda and the other player to reply to the same story update.
In conclusion, I feel that getting Warda off the AFCON squad was not the best course of action considering that he's a valuable player and this only causes harm to Egypt's position in the championship, HOWEVER, Warda must be punished by the law if he was found guilty after the police conducts investigations.
The #MeToo movement has been spreading worldwide these days where we stand up for women who were victims of any sort of sexual harassment, even if it is cyber, and so we should never neglect these women's claims just because Warda is a public figure, but if these women were lying just for attention then they should be sued for defamation of character.
Warda should definitely be punished if what he did turns out to be true since he would have emotionally and mentally abused these women and caused them harm, but kicking him off the AFCON squad was not the type of punishment that he deserves nor the type that would be beneficial to these women in any way, all it did is cause them to be stalked by online trolls typing away hurtful stuff.
Although, if Warda turns out to be innocent, he would be under so much stress when he returns back to the playing field due to the trauma this experience would have caused him plus everyone having their eyes on him and observing his every movement.
All in all, the only right way to handle this situation is by conducting an investigation and suing whoever is at fault.
So, a little recap!
Apparently, a couple days back, an Egyptian-British model called Merhan Keller posted some screenshots from her story views and DMs. The views included a couple of the Egyptian national team's player viewing her story and the DMs were from two players, one of them simply sent a heart and thumbs-up emojis, as for Warda he simply sent "Boxing ? Haha."
According to the model, when she ignored the messages, Warda attacked her saying that she doesn't know who he is or what he can do and that he can easily get her number if he wanted to, however, I personally have yet to see these screenshots.
After posting all of this, the model claims that a lot of other women came forward with their stories of Warda cyber-harassing them, even sexually. She also posted these screenshots which, again, I personally don't know whether these were her DMs or another woman's DMs, nevertheless, the messages that Warda sent here do sound aggressive and overly forceful.
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| courtesy of Identity magazine. |
After that, a Mexican model called Giovanna Val posted on twitter screenshots of WhatsApp conversations between her and Warda where he sent her nudes and explicit videos and asked her for some back. Whether this is true or edited or staged is not clear to me tho.
Other than that, multiple girls have posted their online interactions with Warda where they claim that he has sexually harassed them. (just Google "Amr Warda Messages" and you'll find them) But just like the WhatsApp screenshots of Val, it cannot be confirmed.
Up until this point, mainly fans of the 25 y/o soccer player and of the models were aware of the incident, until he was removed from the AFCON squad on Wednesday following Val's allegations. That was when people started to speak up and voice their opinions.
A lot of people were against the EFA's (Egyptian Football Association) decision of removing him from the AFCON squad, saying that everybody makes mistakes and that mistakes he makes in his personal life should not be affiliated with his job. Nevertheless, there were a lot of people who said that what he did is wrong since he is a public figure representing the Egyptian nation and should be punished for his mistakes especially since it is not the first time he has gotten entangled in sexual harassment incidents.
Also, following Keller's remarks regarding this point, people have found it weird that Warda and other members of the team all decided to view her Instagram story at the same time and think that the players might've had some sort of bet going on or that it was some sort of "locker room talk," however, this doesn't necessarily mean that this is their first time viewing it, maybe they're followers and it was coincidental for Warda and the other player to reply to the same story update.
In conclusion, I feel that getting Warda off the AFCON squad was not the best course of action considering that he's a valuable player and this only causes harm to Egypt's position in the championship, HOWEVER, Warda must be punished by the law if he was found guilty after the police conducts investigations.
The #MeToo movement has been spreading worldwide these days where we stand up for women who were victims of any sort of sexual harassment, even if it is cyber, and so we should never neglect these women's claims just because Warda is a public figure, but if these women were lying just for attention then they should be sued for defamation of character.
Warda should definitely be punished if what he did turns out to be true since he would have emotionally and mentally abused these women and caused them harm, but kicking him off the AFCON squad was not the type of punishment that he deserves nor the type that would be beneficial to these women in any way, all it did is cause them to be stalked by online trolls typing away hurtful stuff.
Although, if Warda turns out to be innocent, he would be under so much stress when he returns back to the playing field due to the trauma this experience would have caused him plus everyone having their eyes on him and observing his every movement.
All in all, the only right way to handle this situation is by conducting an investigation and suing whoever is at fault.
Also, check out our new Instagram account @sugarfreetalks! It's still-under-construction but it will be up and running soon!
{sources: www.egyptianstreets.com - www.thesun.co.uk - www.identity-mag.com - www.cairogossip.com - www.arabic.rt.com }