Egypt's ambassador Hisham Badr has praised the depth and strength of his country's relationship with Italy including through soccer, the Egyptian foreign ministry wrote on Facebook at the weekend.
Badr was the only foreigner to be made a 'knight' of Italy's Serie A team AS Roma at a ceremony on Saturday at Palazzo Brancaccio in central Rome, said the Facebook post.
The post cited Badr as expressing thanks for the honour "which reflects the depth of strategic relations between the two countries."
Badr was honoured "for his diplomacy aimed at bolstering ties between Italy and Egypt," the post stated.
In his remarks at the ceremony, Badr also recalled Egyptian striker Mohamed Salah, a former AS Roma player according to the post. Salah played for AS Roma in 2016-2017 and was on loan to the club in 2015-2016.
'Knights' are "fans who are distinguished in their own professional fields and who have shown great passion for the club, fostering a sporting culture based on health competition, respect, commitment to civil society and solidarity", according to an AS Roma statement.
