Zamalek complain to Egyptian FA after Al Ahly derby defeat

Zamalek have filed an official complaint against the Egyptian Football Association’s main refereeing committee, holding it responsible for their 2-0 defeat by Al Ahly in the sixth round of the Egyptian Premier League.

The club’s board, led by Hussein Labib, said the team had been denied two penalties during the Cairo derby and criticised the way the refereeing committee is currently being run.

Zamalek also claimed that more than one incident in their favour was not reviewed by the video assistant referee (VAR). The club said its complaint was prompted by what it described as serious errors by the Slovenian referee and his team.

In a statement, Zamalek said: “The board of directors of Zamalek, headed by Hussein Labib, has decided to submit an official complaint to the Egyptian Football Association against the main refereeing committee because of the injustice suffered by Zamalek in the derby against Al Ahly, which led to the defeat and the loss of the players’ and technical staff’s efforts.”

The club said the appointment of an “unknown refereeing team” that was “far below the level of the match” had resulted in a series of decisions that were deliberately and blatantly directed against Zamalek, affecting both the course and outcome of the game.

“According to a number of refereeing experts, Zamalek were not awarded two penalties, in addition to more than one incident in favour of Zamalek not being reviewed through VAR,” the statement added.

Zamalek blamed the main refereeing committee for the defeat, saying it had been influenced by a campaign aimed at it before the start of the league season. The club claimed that this had led to a lack of fairness and deliberate favouritism towards one side at Zamalek’s expense.

The club also expressed its “deep dissatisfaction with the way the refereeing committee is currently being managed”, but said it would take steps to protect the rights of Zamalek and its supporters.

Zamalek said its position on the integrity of the refereeing system as a whole had not changed. However, it called on those within the refereeing committee to reconsider how officials are selected and to ensure they act responsibly, with fairness forming the basis of refereeing decisions.

The victory was Al Ahly’s 53rd in league derbies against Zamalek. Zamalek have won 29, while the two sides have drawn 51 times.

Moataz Gamal has still not beaten Al Ahly in two matches as Zamalek manager. His side lost 3-0 last season and 2-0 this season.

Houcine Ammouta, meanwhile, passed his first derby test by leading Al Ahly to victory.

The result moved Al Ahly temporarily top of the table on 16 points. Zamalek suffered their first defeat of the season and remained third on 13 points.