Egyptian FA details Mohamed Maarouf conversation after Al Ahly-ZED FC controversy

The Egyptian Football Association says audio recordings from the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) room found no evidence that referee Mohamed Maarouf told Al Ahly football director Wael Gomaa to remove Ali Mahmoud to prevent him being sent off.

The claim had circulated after Al Ahly’s recent Egyptian Premier League match against ZED FC, with reports suggesting Maarouf had warned Gomaa that he would be unable to protect the player from a red card.

The Egyptian FA issued an official statement to clarify what was said during the incident, following the controversy surrounding the exchange between the referee and the Al Ahly official.

“The Egyptian Football Association’s Main Referees Committee followed what had been circulated during the past hours regarding the incident involving referee Mohamed Maarouf and Wael Gomaa, the football director of Al Ahly, during the Al Ahly-ZED FC match, as well as the claims concerning the player Ali Mahmoud,” the statement said.

The committee said it had held a meeting to examine the episode and had listened in full to the recordings from the VAR room in order to establish what had happened.

“After reviewing and listening to the recordings, the Referees Committee found no evidence that referee Mohamed Maarouf had spoken to Wael Gomaa about the player Ali Mahmoud,” it added.

“Instead, the conversation concerned Al Ahly’s request for a foul. The football director, Wael Gomaa, protested, and referee Mohamed Maarouf replied that there had been no foul and that the incident had been reviewed by the VAR referee.”

“There was no discussion in the exchange about asking the referee to remove the player in order to protect him, as had been reported in the media.”

The Egyptian FA also praised the Supreme Council for Media after it summoned a channel’s legal representative to a hearing over what it described as a violation.

“The Referees Committee extends its sincere thanks to the Supreme Council for Media for summoning the channel’s legal representative to a hearing because of this violation,” the statement said.

“It commends the council’s proactive decision, which reflects its commitment to regulating the media environment and preserving professional standards.”

The committee said it had been preparing to approach the Supreme Council for Media itself to request action over the incident, but welcomed the speed of the council’s response.

The statement also stressed that the refereeing authorities would deal with incidents and observations concerning officiating “with complete transparency and objectivity”, while verifying facts before making judgements or circulating information that was inaccurate.

The committee called on everyone involved in Egyptian football, including media organisations and supporters, to support the country’s referees and avoid being drawn into rumours or unverified reports.

It warned that the spread of such information could have a negative effect on the Egyptian football system.