Zamalek complaint dismissed as Egyptian referees’ committee says its role ended with foreign appointment

A source from the Egyptian Football Association’s referees’ committee has rejected Zamalek’s criticism of the officials appointed for their 2-0 defeat by Al Ahly in the Egyptian Premier League.

Zamalek submitted a complaint to the Football Association, claiming they had suffered unfair treatment in the Cairo derby and holding the referees’ committee responsible for the result. The club also said the committee had been influenced by the campaign directed against it before the start of the season.

The complaint followed Al Ahly’s victory in the sixth round of the Egyptian Premier League, a result which left Zamalek with their first defeat of the campaign.

A referees’ committee source told FilGoal.com that the committee would not review the disputed decisions from the match.

“The referees’ committee will not analyse the controversial incidents from the Al Ahly and Zamalek match,” the source said. “Our role ended as soon as we arranged for a foreign refereeing team for the match. We are responsible only for Egyptian refereeing.”

The source added that the committee had completed its responsibility by securing foreign officials despite the demands on referees during the current period.

“The referees’ committee did its job by arranging a foreign refereeing team for the Al Ahly and Zamalek match, even though there were UEFA Champions League matches and games in all the European competitions taking place at the time,” the source said.

Al Ahly’s win was their 53rd against Zamalek in the Egyptian Premier League. Zamalek have won 29 of the league meetings, while 51 have ended in draws.

The result also extended Al Ahly’s winning run in the fixture to four matches in all competitions.

Zamalek manager Moataz Gamal has now failed to beat Al Ahly in both of his matches in charge of the club. His side lost 3-0 last season before suffering a 2-0 defeat in the latest meeting.

For Al Ahly, the match marked a winning start for Hussein Ammouta in his first derby as the club’s manager.

The victory moved Al Ahly temporarily top of the table on 16 points. Zamalek remained third on 13 points despite the defeat, which was their first of the season.

Zamalek’s next fixture will be away to Rwandan Army on Friday, 16 October, in the first leg of the round of 32 in the CAF Champions League.