Zamalek accuse referee of influencing Cairo derby defeat to Al Ahly

Zamalek have criticised the officiating in their 2-0 defeat to Al Ahly, claiming that refereeing decisions affected the outcome of Sunday’s Egyptian Premier League derby at Cairo International Stadium.

The White Knights suffered defeat against their fierce rivals in the sixth round of the Egyptian top-flight, with the result leaving them third in the standings on 13 points.

Speaking on ON Sport, Zamalek media director Maher Gharib insisted that the standard of officiating fell below expectations for a fixture of such importance, arguing that his club was unfairly treated during the encounter.

“Zamalek was subjected to wrong refereeing decisions that affected the result of the summit match, and the level of the referee of the match was supposed to be better than that,” Gharib said.

He added that the club’s official statement on the matter reflected the unanimous position of the board of directors, led by Hussein Labib.

“The club’s statement came unanimously from the board of directors headed by Hussein Labib, and the referee’s level was below what a summit match should be like, and Zamalek is the only team that was harmed by the match,” he stated.

Gharib further disclosed that Zamalek had deliberately refrained from challenging the appointment of Slovenian referee ahead of the derby in an attempt to maintain calm before the high-profile fixture.

He also revealed that several refereeing experts believed Zamalek should have been awarded a penalty during the match.

“We refused to object to the selection of the Slovenian referee before the match in order to provide some calm, and many refereeing experts believed that Zamalek deserved a penalty kick,” he added.

The Zamalek official also raised concerns about what he described as inconsistencies in refereeing decisions throughout the current league campaign, insisting that the club would continue to defend its interests.

“The standard is not the same in refereeing decisions during league matches this season, and Zamalek knows very well how to protect its rights,” Gharib said.

Meanwhile, Al Ahly moved to the top of the Egyptian Premier League standings with 16 points from six matches, one point ahead of second-placed Pyramids, while Zamalek remain third with 13 points.