Zamalek defend Egyptian refereeing and call for all player contracts to be revealed

Zamalek have rejected what they described as an early campaign against Egyptian referees and called for the value of every player’s contract to be disclosed in the interests of transparency.

The Egyptian club issued an official statement on Monday, 3 August 2026, defending the integrity of the country’s refereeing system and opposing criticism of the process used to form the Referees Committee.

Zamalek’s board said it had followed with “great surprise” the early objections to Egyptian refereeing and the advance opposition to the committee’s composition.

In its statement, the club said early threats against referees, objections to particular officials and the revival of controversial decisions from last season were unacceptable. It argued that such actions were intended to create confusion and intimidate referees before the new season begins.

The club also said it was not acceptable to question the integrity of Egyptian refereeing or that of any other part of the country’s football system.

Zamalek added that it appreciated the work of the Egyptian Football Association board, led by Hany Abou Rida, to develop football in the country. The club also praised the association’s efforts to build on the success of the Egypt national team’s “outstanding World Cup participation” at the most recent World Cup.

The statement said Zamalek valued Hany Abou Rida’s willingness to ensure fairness for the club, including his public declaration to the football community that all Zamalek players’ contracts were valid.

However, the club said transparency should apply across Egyptian football. It urged the Egyptian Football Association and the relevant authorities to disclose whether the contracts of players at all other clubs were valid, saying that this was necessary to establish the truth for everyone.

The statement represents Zamalek’s formal response to criticism of the Egyptian refereeing structure before the start of the season. Its central message was that officials should not be placed under pressure through threats, challenges to their appointments or repeated references to incidents from the previous campaign.

At the same time, the club linked its defence of refereeing to a wider demand for clarity over player contracts. Zamalek said the public should be given access to accurate information about the contracts of players across all clubs, rather than only receiving confirmation about agreements involving its own squad.

The club’s board therefore combined its rejection of doubts about the refereeing system with an appeal for the Egyptian Football Association and other relevant bodies to publish details confirming the validity of contracts throughout the game.

Zamalek said these steps would help prevent confusion, protect the credibility of football’s institutions and provide the transparency it believes should apply equally to every club.