When you advise some of the Salafi brothers concerning their love for non-Muslim football players and clubs, most of them argue that their love is not based on

So is this type of love permissible? Sheikh Sulayman Ar-Ruhaili waffaqahullah said (paraphrasing): “Loving a Kafir due to something (Mubāḥ); like loving a football player for his talent...which then extends to loving his club; for example, he begins to love Messi, then this love extends to loving his club (PSG). And you find some of them debating these footballing issues as though they are actual members of those clubs. I consider this type of love to be Haraam‼️ Note! I'm referring to loving a Kafir - even if this love is down to talent and skill. We're not referring to loving the actual game, we're referring to loving a non-Muslim player because of his talent and skill. This is Haraam‼️ And I do not know any evidences which remove this type of love from the general Prohibition of loving the Kuffar. And no doubt this is a means to loving them on the basis of their Deen. In fact, it is a means to imitating some of their actions which they perform as a result of their Kufr; for example, the fan makes a cross sign after scoring a goal because he sees Messi doing so whenever he scores a goal. So his love for him leads him to imitate him in this (Kufri) gesture. And this is a reality. So it is a means leading to Haram, and every means leading to Haram is also Haram!”