Rade Obrenovic: The referee appointed for Zamalek v Al Ahly

Slovenian referee Rade Obrenovic has been selected to officiate the Egyptian Premier League meeting between Zamalek and Al Ahly on Sunday, 11 October.

The match, which is part of the sixth round of the competition, has attracted attention because of Obrenovic’s controversial decisions and conduct in previous games.

Here are some of the most notable incidents from the international referee’s career.

Goal disallowed after half-time apology

The best-known incident involving Obrenovic came during Aston Villa’s match against Feyenoord in the league phase of the Europa League in 2025.

Ayase Ueda scored in the first half, but the goal was ruled out after the referee judged that Watanabe had fouled Matty Cash.

Feyenoord manager Robin van Persie later said Obrenovic had apologised to him at half-time and admitted that the decision to disallow the goal had been wrong.

The referee was also criticised for another decision in the same match. Aston Villa forward Ollie Watkins broke through on goal in the 13th minute, but after he was fouled, Obrenovic showed Feyenoord defender Anel Ahmedhodzic a yellow card rather than sending him off.

Marseille penalty decision described as a ‘scandal’

In 2025, Obrenovic was in charge of Marseille’s Champions League match against Sporting CP.

He initially awarded the French side a penalty after Emerson Palmieri went down, but then reviewed the incident on the video assistant referee system. He overturned the penalty and showed Palmieri a second yellow card, resulting in his dismissal.

Marseille manager Roberto De Zerbi strongly objected to the decision, saying: “The team paid the price for the referee’s mistakes. He was not ready to manage a match at this level.”

Marseille player Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang described the referee’s first yellow card for Palmieri as a “scandal”.

Dispute with Monaco manager

Obrenovic also refereed Monaco’s Champions League game against Benfica in 2024.

Monaco questioned several of his decisions, including his handling of yellow cards and his failure to consult the video system in some incidents.

The most contentious moment came after the final whistle, when Obrenovic refused to shake hands with Monaco manager Adi Hutter. The club criticised the action and described it as unethical behaviour.

Obrenovic has been a FIFA-listed referee since 2017 and is regarded as one of UEFA’s elite officials. His most recent international match involving national teams was Belgium against France in the Nations League on 28 September 2026.

Zamalek are second in the Egyptian Premier League with 13 points, ahead of third-placed Al Ahly only on goal difference.

The full officiating team for the match is:

– Referee: Rade Obrenovic – Assistant referee: Yuri Brabrotnik – Assistant referee: Grega Kordez – Fourth official: David Smajc – VAR: Matej Jug – AVAR: David Gabrovec