La Viena demand urgent action after disputed refereeing decisions in Tanta defeat

La Viena have lodged a formal complaint over what they describe as repeated refereeing errors against the club, with the latest incidents occurring during their 2-1 defeat by Tanta in round 12 of the Professional League.

The club issued a statement expressing its “deep regret and dismay” at what it said was a recurring pattern of influential refereeing decisions against the team, both at home and away.

“La Viena’s board of directors has followed, with deep regret and dismay, the repeated influential refereeing errors against the team in recent matches,” the statement said.

“It has become a situation raising numerous questions about whether justice and equal opportunities are being achieved between the clubs.”

La Viena said the disputed decisions reached their peak in the match against Tanta, highlighting two incidents in particular.

The club claimed an incorrect penalty had been awarded to Tanta, citing the views of a number of refereeing experts and assistant referees. It also said La Viena had been denied a valid goal after the ball had fully crossed the goal line.

According to the statement, slow-motion footage showed the ball had crossed the line, but the officials insisted play should continue.

“This wasted the entire effort made by the team,” La Viena said.

The club argued that the issue could no longer be treated as a series of normal human errors because of the effect the decisions were having on match results and the principle of equal competition.

“La Viena’s board of directors confirms that the continuation of these errors is no longer acceptable,” the statement added.

“They directly affect match results and the principle of equal opportunities, harm clubs’ investments and undermine the efforts being made to establish a fair competition in the Professional League.”

La Viena called for four urgent measures in response to the Tanta match.

First, it wants an immediate and transparent investigation into the refereeing decisions, together with a review and examination of all footage and documents submitted by the club.

Second, it has requested that first assistant referee Mohamed Ahmed Hussein be summoned and questioned over the validity of the penalty awarded against La Viena. The club said he had informed the referee of the error in awarding the penalty.

Third, La Viena called for firm and deterrent action against the match officials and anyone found to have been negligent or responsible for harming the club’s rights.

Finally, the club urged senior officials at the Egyptian Football Association and the Referees Committee to intervene immediately to correct the situation, guarantee equal opportunities and protect clubs’ investments.

La Viena said this was particularly important as anger continues to grow, warning that some clubs could withdraw or take escalatory action if refereeing errors continue.