Refereeing committee says Mohamed Maarouf did not ask Al Ahly to substitute Ali Mahmoud

The Egyptian Football Association’s refereeing committee says referee Mohamed Maarouf did not ask Al Ahly football director Wael Gomaa to substitute Ali Mahmoud during the club’s league match against ZED FC.

The committee issued a statement after claims were made about an exchange between Maarouf and Gomaa during Al Ahly’s 2-0 victory over ZED FC in the second round of the Egyptian Premier League.

Karim Shehata, a presenter on Al Hayat channel, had said Maarouf told Gomaa to replace Ali Mahmoud in order to prevent the player from receiving a red card and “protect” him.

The Supreme Council for Media Regulation subsequently summoned the legal representative of Al Hayat channel over what it described as a breach of media codes by Shehata.

In its statement, the refereeing committee said it had reviewed the reports circulating about the incident and held a meeting to establish what had happened.

It also said it had listened in full to recordings from the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) room before reaching its conclusion.

“After reviewing and listening to the recordings, the refereeing committee found no evidence that referee Mohamed Maarouf spoke to Wael Gomaa about Ali Mahmoud,” the statement said.

“The conversation was about Al Ahly’s demand for a foul and an objection from the football director, Wael Gomaa. Referee Mohamed Maarouf’s response was that there was no foul and that the incident had already been reviewed by the VAR referee.”

“There was no discussion in the conversation about the referee asking for the player to leave the pitch to protect him, as was reported in the media.”

The committee also welcomed the Supreme Council for Media Regulation’s decision to call in the channel’s legal representative for a hearing.

“The committee praises the proactive decision by the council, which reflects its determination to regulate the media landscape and preserve professional values,” it said.

“The committee had been preparing to approach the council to take the necessary action over the incident, but the decision came quickly. The committee values and commends that action.”

The refereeing committee said it would continue to deal with all incidents and observations relating to officiating “with complete transparency and objectivity”, adding that facts should be checked before judgements were issued or inaccurate information circulated.

It also appealed to everyone involved in Egyptian football, including the media and supporters, to support Egyptian refereeing and avoid being drawn into rumours or unverified reports because of their potential negative effect on the country’s football system.

Al Ahly’s victory over ZED FC left them level at the top of the Egyptian Premier League with Pyramids FC, Tala’ea El Gaish and Al Masry. All four clubs have six points after the opening two matches.

ZED FC are 16th with one point, having recorded one draw and one defeat.