The debate regarding player power was widened by former Bayern Munich CEO Oliver Kahn, who joined Hamann on the panel. Kahn offered a damning assessment of how modern superstars operate, suggesting that Salah's behaviour is symptomatic of a wider issue in elite football where players believe they are bigger than the institutions they represent, aided by their massive personal brands.
"When players, no matter how deserving they are, reach a certain age, they believe they are untouchable and can say anything, and then it is almost too late for a club," Kahn explained. "These players then start to get on your nerves immensely within the team.
"You have to feel that as a person in charge and then you have to think about drawing consequences as a club. I am no longer sure whether the sentence 'the club is bigger than the player' still applies. Is it not the case today that such players, such superstars, have long stood above the clubs? Just look at the possibilities with social media, where players have more fans than the club."