Mido questions controversial penalty as Al Ahly beat ENPPI 3-2

Former Zamalek and Egypt international Ahmed Hossam Mido has strongly criticised the referee who awarded Al Ahly a penalty during their Egyptian Premier League match against ENPPI, describing the decision as “a penalty from the referee’s imagination”.

Mido said the spot-kick played a significant role in changing the course of the match and brought Al Ahly back into the contest. His comments came after Al Ahly secured a 3-2 victory over ENPPI, earning their first three points of the Egyptian Premier League campaign.

Writing on his official X account, Mido expressed his frustration with the standard of decision-making in the competition.

“We are back to the Egyptian league and the decisions that frustrate any football follower,” he wrote.

He then focused specifically on the penalty awarded in favour of Al Ahly, questioning whether there had been sufficient contact for the referee to intervene.

“A penalty from the referee’s imagination is bringing Al Ahly back into the match,” Mido added.

The former Zamalek forward said he had watched the incident several times in an attempt to identify a foul by the ENPPI defender. However, he said he could not find evidence of the infringement he believed would have justified a penalty.

“I watched it more than once; I tried to find any push by the defender, but I couldn’t,” Mido said.

He also criticised Al Ahly forward Achraf Bencharki, suggesting that the player had been looking for minimal contact in order to go to ground inside the penalty area.

Mido’s remarks followed a match in which the penalty became one of the main talking points. The decision was widely debated during the encounter because of its direct effect on the contest, with Al Ahly eventually completing a 3-2 win.

The result gave Al Ahly their opening three points of the season in the Egyptian Premier League. ENPPI were beaten in a game that saw the penalty decision dominate discussion after Mido publicly challenged the referee’s interpretation of the incident.

Mido, a former Zamalek and Egypt player, used his social media account to make his view clear, arguing that the award was not supported by a push from the defender. His criticism was also directed at Bencharki, whom he accused of looking for an opportunity to fall rather than being clearly brought down.

The former striker’s assessment was that the decision had helped restore Al Ahly’s position in the match, making the penalty a decisive issue in the 3-2 result.