Soccer star Mohamed Salah has won his latest tussle with Egypt's soccer federation after his demands for better security and improved discipline at the Pharaohs' camps have been met.
That's thanks to his star power and a government keen to keep its most valuable international asset happy.
But how long will a government that's shown little tolerance for dissent put up with the Liverpool star's show of independence and quest for change? As long as he plays brilliantly, Salah's sweeping popularity will protect him, while giving the government of general-turned-president Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi the global good publicity it wants.
But Salah must tread carefully if he intends to be an instrument of change in Egypt.