Mohamed Abou-Treika of Egypt's Ahly celebrates after defeating Japan's Sanfrecce Hiroshima at their Club World Cup soccer match in Toyota, central Japan December 9, 2012 (Photo: Reuters)
Ahly's classy playmaker Mohamad Abou Treika said on Sunday he would abandon politics to avoid "stirring hatred" among Egyptian people at a time of political turmoil.
A new divisive constitution was passed on Sunday after unofficial results showed that around 64% Egyptians voted in its favour in a controversial two-round referendum that was preceded by many clashes between supporters and opponents of Egypt president Mohamed Morsi.
Abou-Treika, an iconic figure in the football-made country, made no secret of his support for Morsi and his Islamist Muslim Brotherhood group during the presidential elections earlier this year.
"Everyone should be concerned about politics, but we should accept other opinions and respect them," Abou-Treika told Ahly's official television channel on Sunday.
"If I felt that my opinions will increase hatred between Egyptians I will stop revealing my views and I will keep them to myself.
"Every person belongs to anything that suits his character, but we are still in our first step to democracy and we need more time to learn how to respect the opinions of others," he concluded.
Abou-Treika, who is widely considered as one of the best players in Egypt's history, was recently named as the best African-based player of 2012.
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