Ismaily walk off in protest over refereeing against Wadi Degla

​Ismaily’s clash with Wadi Degla in the Egyptian Premier League turned chaotic after a fresh refereeing controversy forced a temporary halt to the game at Ismailia Stadium.

The hosts’ players abruptly left the pitch in protest, announcing their intention to withdraw from the match.

The flashpoint came in the 62nd minute when Wadi Degla scored their second goal through Boli to go 2-0 up. Ismaily’s bench, led by coach Tarek El Ashri, were furious that a supposed foul in the build-up, for which they appealed for a penalty, had not been given, and the counter-attack immediately ended in a goal for the visitors.

The players gathered in the centre circle before walking off, leaving Wadi Degla and the referee waiting on the pitch.

Play was stopped for around 10 minutes before Ismaily eventually returned, and the match resumed within the time limit that would have made the withdrawal official.

The incident echoed a recent similar episode involving Modern Sport against Kahrabaa Ismailia, underlining growing frustration with refereeing and renewed calls for better standards and wider VAR use in the Egyptian league.
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