Al Ahly club president Mahmoud El Khatib has revealed that the club attempted to bring in foreign referees for their recent match against Al Ittihad of Alexandria, which Al Ahly withdrew from in protest.
In a statement on the club’s official television channel, El Khatib said, “We tried with Hany Abo Rida to bring in referees from Europe and Brazil for the Al Ittihad match, but the Football Association refused.” Hany Abo Rida is a member of the FIFA Council and the former president of the Egyptian Football Association.
The match in question was scheduled for the 21st of May as part of the Egyptian Premier League’s 26th round. The incident occurred when Al Ahly players left the pitch in the 78th minute, with the score tied at 1-1, following a controversial penalty decision awarded to Al Ittihad by referee Mohamed El Hanafy. The Egyptian Football Association’s Disciplinary Committee later decided to consider Al Ahly as having withdrawn from the match, awarding a 2-0 victory to Al Ittihad.
El Khatib explained the club’s perspective, stating, “The referee’s performance was unacceptable. We have video evidence proving the errors. We presented our case to the Football Association, but they did not respond.” He emphasized that the club’s decision to withdraw was not taken lightly, saying, “We made the choice for the sake of Egyptian football. We have reached a point where we must take a stand against the decline in refereeing standards.”
The Al Ahly president also addressed the potential consequences, confirming the club will appeal the Disciplinary Committee’s decision. “We will go to the Appeals Committee. If the ruling is not in our favor, we are prepared to take the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS),” El Khatib stated.
He concluded by highlighting a broader concern, noting that poor refereeing could negatively impact the Egyptian national team’s preparations for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. “The national team is suffering from the same refereeing issues in the domestic league. This environment does not help the players,” El Khatib said.
