Referee Amin Omar admits mistake in denying Al Ahly goal against National Bank

International referee Amin Omar has made a surprising admission regarding one of the most controversial decisions of his career, revealing that he was wrong to disallow Al Ahly’s goal against National Bank during the 2022 Egyptian Premier League season.

The referee, who handled the match between Al Ahly and National Bank, cancelled a goal scored by former Red Devils forward Mahmoud Kahraba, a decision that sparked debate among supporters and football analysts at the time.

Speaking on the podcast “The Dialogue is Big”, Amin Omar acknowledged that the decision was a mistake, explaining that the introduction of video assistant referee (VAR) technology in Egyptian football contributed to confusion among officials during its early stages.

“In the Al Ahly and National Bank match, I cancelled a goal by mistake. When I was called by the video technology, it was not explained exactly what had happened, and I found myself in trouble because I did not count the goal,” Omar said.

The experienced referee admitted that officials made several errors during the early period of VAR implementation in the Egyptian Premier League, but insisted that referees always aimed to apply fairness and maintain the integrity of the game.

“Of course, we made mistakes, but I applied justice. VAR was new in the Egyptian league, and there were major mistakes at the beginning. Such mistakes were expected,” he added.

Omar also highlighted the challenges of officiating in professional football, stating that matches outside Egypt’s domestic league often come with greater pressure and intensity due to the high level of competition.

“Refereeing professional league matches is more difficult than Egyptian Premier League games and involves great excitement,” he explained.

Despite his family connection to Al Ahly, with his father being a supporter of the Cairo giants, Amin Omar insisted that personal affiliations do not influence his decisions on the pitch.

“My father belongs to Al Ahly club, but that does not affect my performance on the field,” he concluded.