CAIRO — Egyptian military forces in the Sinai Peninsula were targeted June 30 in a series of bloody attacks by Wilayat Sinai, previously known as Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis, an affiliate of the Islamic State. The attacks claimed the lives of 17 soldiers, the General Command of the Armed Forces said July 2.

Grief led an Egyptian soccer player for the Wadi Degla Sporting Club, Ahmed Marghany, to publish a post on his Facebook page the same day, addressing Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi with sharp-tongued criticism. Marghany wrote, "You asked people to take to the streets and support you in fighting terrorism. They filled the streets, although this is your job and you need no authorization. Ever since, civilians, soldiers and policemen have been dying. Where do you stand in all of this?"

Marghany added in the same post, "All we get from you is mere talk. You are a failure and you are responsible for all the bloodshed in this country. Is a state of mourning not going to be declared for them and are the television soaps not going to be canceled? Or are they not as important as the state prosecutor?”

The post did not go unnoticed. On July 3, the Wadi Degla Sporting Club decided to officially terminate Marghany’s contract as of the beginning of next season. The club’s board of directors also froze his membership — and his salary — and kept him off the playing field.