Zamalek awarded one penalty and denied another in Egyptian league refereeing review

The Egyptian Football Association referees’ committee, chaired by Essam Abdel Fattah, has published its assessment of the key officiating decisions from the fourth round of the Egyptian league.

Its review found that Zamalek should have been awarded a penalty against Abu Qir Fertilizers, while Abu Qir Fertilizers should also have been given a spot-kick in the same match.

The committee’s findings also covered incidents involving Al Mokawloon Al Arab, Al Ahly, Pyramids, El Qanah, Al Masry and Petrojet.

Zamalek’s two penalty incidents

Zamalek were entitled to a penalty after an incident involving Mohamed Shehata during their match against Abu Qir Fertilizers. The committee said the referee’s decision not to award the kick was incorrect.

However, the review also concluded that Abu Qir Fertilizers should have received a penalty after a foul on Zamalek defender Omar Gaber.

The two decisions mean the committee found errors in both penalty areas during the match.

Doku Dodo bookings reviewed

The committee ruled that Doku Dodo of Al Mokawloon Al Arab did not deserve to be booked during the first incident in the match against Al Ahly. It described the referee’s decision to show him a yellow card as incorrect.

In a second incident involving the same player, the committee concluded that there was no foul by Doku Dodo. As a result, he did not merit a second yellow card, and the referee was correct not to send him off.

VAR decisions and red-card call

Pyramids’ second goal against El Qanah was correctly disallowed after a VAR review. The committee said the decision was justified because a foul had been committed before the goal was scored.

The referees’ committee also identified an error in the Al Masry-Petrojet match. It said a Petrojet player should have been sent off during the incident that led to Al Masry being awarded a penalty.

The referee’s decision not to issue a red card in that situation was therefore judged to be incorrect.