Why Zamalek’s Chico Banza avoided punishment after removing his shorts

Chico Banza was not punished for removing his shorts during Zamalek’s 2-1 victory over Al Mokawloon Al Arab because the incident took place after the match had ended and was not recorded in any official report, according to Egyptian Competitions Committee chairman Taha Ezzat.

Banza scored Zamalek’s winning goal in the final minutes of their Egyptian Premier League match, which was played in the eighth round of the competition.

The player later removed his shorts and shirt after the final whistle, but Ezzat said there was no official evidence on which disciplinary action could be based.

“Chico Banza’s case, involving the removal of his shorts, happened after the match had ended,” Ezzat said on Sada El Balad.

“When we punish any player, we must rely on one of three things. The first is the official match recording, which is the basis used in most competitions around the world.

“If a player was punished in previous years because of video clips outside the official match recording, that does not concern me because I was not part of the Competitions Committee at that time. Therefore, those cases should not be compared with the current incident.”

Ezzat said disciplinary action could also be based on the referee’s report or the match observer’s report, but neither document covered what happened in Banza’s case.

“We can also rely on the referee’s report or the observer’s report when punishing players,” he added. “But Chico Banza’s incident happened 10 minutes or a quarter of an hour after the match, by which time the referee and the observer had left the stadium and the television broadcast had ended.

“As a result, there is no official document on which we can rely. I am not the authority responsible for examining videos from outside the official match recording.”

However, Ezzat said the Competitions Committee could refer the matter to the Disciplinary Committee if a formal complaint was submitted.

“If any club or organisation files a complaint against a player for an offence that did not appear in the official recording and was not noted in the referee’s or observer’s report, then I have the right, as the Competitions Committee, to refer it to the Disciplinary Committee,” he said.

Ezzat also said the Egyptian Football Association had likely discussed the scheduling of the Egypt Capital Cup’s final match with national team manager Hossam Hassan.

“Everything Hossam Hassan asked of us as the Clubs Association, we carried out by 99.9%,” he said. “As the Clubs Association, we are responsible for the league, the Egypt Capital Cup and the final match in the Capital Cup.

“The final will be played on 4 November, after which the Egypt Cup matches organised by the Egyptian Football Association will take place. Therefore, I believe the Egyptian Football Association contacted Hossam Hassan to arrange the matches for that date.”