Zamalek defend Egypt’s referees and demand contracts are made public

Zamalek have defended the integrity of Egyptian referees and called for the contracts of every player at all clubs to be disclosed, as a dispute over the country’s refereeing system escalates before the new season.

The club issued an official statement rejecting what it described as early campaigns to undermine referees and questioning the planned composition of the refereeing committee. Zamalek said such criticism amounted to unacceptable pressure on officials before the start of the campaign.

The statement came hours after Al Ahly intensified its criticism of the Egyptian Football Association (EFA). Al Ahly sent a strongly worded letter challenging several recent decisions, saying they did not support the development of Egyptian football and could lead to further disputes within the sport.

Al Ahly also accused the association of breaching regulations and criticised recent comments made by some referees, describing them as “catastrophic”.

Zamalek said: “The Zamalek Board of Directors has followed with great surprise the early campaign against Egyptian refereeing and the pre-emptive objections to the formation of the Referees Committee.”

The club added that it wanted to clarify several issues to the public in response to what it called campaigns targeting the refereeing system.

It said early threats against referees, objections to particular officials and the revival of incidents from last season in an attempt to cast doubt and create confusion were “completely unacceptable”.

Zamalek said those practices were intended to intimidate referees before the new season and claimed similar behaviour had become increasingly common in recent seasons.

The club also insisted that questioning the integrity of Egyptian refereeing, or of any part of the country’s football system, could not be accepted. It confirmed its full support for the refereeing structure and rejected any attempt to damage its credibility.

Zamalek praised the work of the EFA board, led by president Hany Abu Rida, to develop Egyptian football.

The club said the association was seeking to build on the success achieved by the Egypt national team during its most recent participation in the World Cup, with the aim of securing a positive future for football in the country.

Zamalek also welcomed comments from the EFA president in which he affirmed that all of the club’s player contracts were valid.

The club’s board then called on the EFA and the relevant authorities to publish details confirming the validity of the contracts of players at all clubs.

It said the move would uphold the principle of transparency and allow the full truth to become clear to the public, away from arguments and accusations.

The dispute comes before the beginning of the new season, with both the refereeing system and the administration of Egyptian football facing increasing scrutiny. Zamalek’s statement placed the club firmly behind the country’s referees while also calling for wider financial and contractual transparency across the game.