What was supposed to be a harmless donation has resulted in outcry in Egypt after a TV appearance from Barcelona soccer star Lionel Messi.
Messi was a guest on the TV show Yes, I Am Famous that airs in Saudi Arabi. As a token of generosity, the 28-year-old soccer sensation offered up his boots for a charity auction, which you can watch play out in the clip above. The problem is, shoes are seen as a symbol of disrespect in Egypt and many other Arab countries, and locals are up in arms over the gesture.
"We have never been [this] humiliated during our seven thousand years of civilization. I will hit you with the shoes, Messi," said Egypt parliament member Said Hasasin.
People on Twitter expressed similar distaste for Messi's donation. "This is the most disgusting. He was paid thousands of dollars and at the end he donated his shoes and the stupid presenter was happy," said one user.
As Sole Collector points out, the reason that the show's host may have appeared "happy" was because the boots were never actually intended to be donated to Egypt specifically. "I am shocked by what has happened. Messi never said he was going to donate his boots to charity in Egypt," she told Marca.
