Egyptian Minister of Youth and Sports Ashraf Sobhy has washed his hands of the controversy sparked by the recent Al Ahly and Zamalek league showdown.
The match, part of the Egyptian Premier League, unraveled when Al Ahly, known as the Red Devils, pulled out over the absence of foreign referees, leaving Zamalek as the lone team on the pitch.
In a Saturday interview on Youth and Sports Radio, Sobhy made it clear his ministry stayed out of the way.
“We did not delay in this crisis, and it is not logical for us to intervene, given the natural sequence and gradation between the Clubs Association and the Egyptian Football Association,” he said.
Sobhy revealed he had reached out for help when pressed to step in. “When I was asked to intervene, I spoke with my brothers in the Saudi Ministry of Sports, who quickly agreed to help (by sending a Saudi refereeing team). However, other parties to the crisis rejected this solution,” he added.
The standoff continues to ripple through Egyptian football.
