The organizing committee for the highly anticipated summit clash between Zamalek and Al Ahly, scheduled for next Friday, March 8th, in the Egyptian Cup final, is meticulously selecting a top-tier team of referees for the high-stakes encounter.
The match will take place in Saudi Arabia, following a back-and-forth deliberation over the involvement of Egyptian officials, with the international referee Mohamed Maarouf initially being a frontrunner for the job.
Portuguese head of the referees committee, Vitor Pereira, had threatened to resign in protest against the exclusion of Egyptian referees from officiating the Egyptian Cup final.
Pereira emphasized the setback this decision posed to Egyptian refereeing and the squandering of efforts made in recent times, particularly citing the distinguished performance of Egyptian referees during the Africa Cup of Nations in Cote d’Ivoire.
In a bid to address the escalating tension, Jamal Allam, President of the Egyptian Football Association, met with Pereira at his residence in a hotel, persuading him to reconsider his resignation.
Meanwhile, there is growing discontent among international referees who participated in the Super Cup in the UAE last December, including Mohamed Adel, Amin Omar, Mohamed Maarouf, Mahmoud El Banna, and assistants Ahmed Hossam Taha, Sami Helal, Mahmoud Abu El Ragal, Sameer Gamal, Youssef El Basaty, Ahmed Tawfik Talab, and Hany Abdel Fattah, as well as VAR referees Mahmoud Ashour, Tarek Magdy, and Wael Shaaban. They have yet to receive their dues from the tournament, which featured Al Ahly, Ceramica, Pyramids, and Future clubs.
The referees approached the Egyptian Football Association, only to be informed that their dues are with the Abu Dhabi Council, with whom the tournament was contracted.
Despite reaching out to officials in Abu Dhabi, the referees received no fruitful response, leading them to once again approach the Egyptian Football Association, which assured them of renewed communication with the Abu Dhabi Council.
In other developments, tensions between Liverpool and the Egyptian national team management, led by coach Hossam Hassan, have escalated following Salah’s omission from the squad due to alleged injury concerns raised by Liverpool.
Mediators are working tirelessly to resolve the dispute to ensure Salah’s inclusion in the Egyptian team for their upcoming camp in the UAE.
The national team, under the helm of coach Hossam Hassan, has selected seven professional players for the March camp in the UAE, which includes Mohamed Salah, Ahmed Hegazi, Mahmoud Hassan Trezeguet, Hamdi Fathi, Mostafa Mohamed, Omar Marmoush, and Mohamed Sherif.
Egypt is set to play a friendly against New Zealand on March 22nd in the UAE, with the winner facing the victor of the Tunisia vs. Croatia match. The exclusion of Mohamed Elneny, Arsenal’s English player, was notable in the list of professionals.
