Zamalek demand clarity over VAR audio ban and foreign referee appointments

Zamalek have questioned when the Egyptian Football Association decided to prevent clubs from listening to conversations recorded in the VAR room and have called for a clear, publicly announced system for appointing referees.

The club also wants the performances of referees to be officially reviewed so that the criteria used in making officiating decisions are applied consistently to all teams.

Zamalek have specifically requested access to the conversations involving the Slovenian officiating team that handled the recent Cairo derby between Zamalek and Al Ahly, which Al Ahly won 2-0.

FilGoal.com understands that the Egyptian Football Association rejected requests for listening sessions after a crisis involving Al Ahly last season.

In an official statement, Zamalek said it had received a formal response from the Egyptian Football Association concerning the complaint it submitted over refereeing errors in the derby, which the club said had harmed it.

“While Zamalek appreciates the Egyptian Football Association’s response to the club’s correspondence, it was surprised to learn that the association had taken a decision last season not to allow clubs to listen to conversations from the VAR room.

“This decision was not announced on any of the association’s official platforms, and the club did not receive any formal notification about it. Zamalek therefore asks the association to disclose to the public the number of the meeting record in which the decision was made, in order to end questions about the real reasons behind the rejection of the club’s request, particularly as the association dealt differently with a similar request last season.”

The club added that the association’s reply had not directly and clearly addressed its complaint about the referee’s errors, which Zamalek said had affected both the course and result of the match.

“Many refereeing experts” had confirmed the club’s view, Zamalek said, adding that its officials and supporters wanted an explanation of the decisions in the incidents that had gone against the team.

The club also referred to media comments by the chairman of the Referees Committee, which it said amounted to an acknowledgement that the referee had not given Zamalek a fair outcome. Zamalek said that position should have been announced officially “in the interests of competition fairness”.

Although the Egyptian Football Association’s response praised the professionalism of the Referees Committee in appointing the Slovenian team, Zamalek said a specific and published mechanism was needed for bringing in referees from abroad.

It also called for formal, impartial assessments of foreign referees’ performances, so that decisions were judged according to the same standards for everyone and in line with the Laws of the Game.

“Zamalek is deeply committed to the competition being conducted with integrity and transparency and to improving Egyptian football,” the statement said. “The association’s letter stressed that equality between all clubs would be applied, a principle Zamalek has always demanded, because equality will provide the required justice.”

Zamalek had previously filed a formal complaint against the Referees Committee, the match director and Al Ahly supporters following the derby.

The defeat was Zamalek’s first of the league season. Al Ahly’s victory took them to 16 points in second place, while Zamalek remained third on 13 points after six rounds.