A refereeing committee source has acknowledged that Ahmed Fatouh may have been wrongly allowed to remain on the pitch during Zamalek’s 3-0 victory over Al Ahly Bank in the Egyptian Premier League.
The incident occurred during Wednesday’s match in the second round of the league season and has sparked debate among refereeing experts and supporters on social media.
Fatouh was involved in a challenge for a loose ball when his hand made contact with the face of an Al Ahly Bank player. Referee Mohamed El-Ghazi did not issue a second yellow card for the incident, meaning Fatouh remained on the field.
The Zamalek player had already been booked earlier in the match, so a second yellow would have resulted in a red card and his dismissal.
According to a source within the referees’ committee, a review of the television footage suggests that Fatouh should have been cautioned for the challenge and subsequently sent off because it would have been his second booking.
The committee has not yet reached its final conclusion, however, as it is waiting to obtain the complete footage recorded by cameras around the stadium.
Referees committee reviewing all available footage
The controversy intensified after the match, with supporters and refereeing analysts examining the incident and questioning why El-Ghazi did not issue Fatouh with another yellow card.
A source within the referees’ committee told WinWin that the initial assessment based on the television broadcast indicates that the Zamalek defender committed an offence worthy of a yellow card.
Because Fatouh had already received a booking earlier in the game, that decision would have resulted in his dismissal.
The source said the committee wants to avoid making a final judgement based solely on the limited angles shown during the live broadcast.
Officials are therefore waiting to receive the complete recording from all the cameras positioned inside the stadium.
Those additional images could allow the committee to examine the challenge from several perspectives before reaching its definitive position.
The incident has consequently remained under review, despite the match itself ending in a convincing victory for Zamalek.
Zamalek claim first league win
The disputed refereeing decision came during a match in which Zamalek secured a comfortable 3-0 victory over Al Ahly Bank.
The result gave the White Knights their first win of the new Egyptian league campaign.
Zamalek had begun the season with a goalless draw against Al Ittihad Alexandria in the opening round, leaving them looking for an improved performance in their second fixture.
They responded with three goals against Al Ahly Bank to claim all three points and move their campaign forward.
The victory also lifted Zamalek’s points tally to four.
At the time of the report, the result had temporarily moved Zamalek into second place in the Egyptian Premier League table.
Tala’ea El Gaish were leading the standings with six points, meaning Zamalek were two points behind the early leaders.
Controversy overshadows otherwise strong result
The refereeing debate has added an unexpected talking point to Zamalek’s victory.
For the White Knights, the three points were important after dropping points in their opening fixture. However, questions over whether Fatouh should have been sent off have dominated discussion following the match.
The refereeing committee’s initial assessment gives weight to those concerns, although officials are still waiting for the complete stadium footage before issuing their final opinion.
The distinction between a first assessment and a final ruling is important because the committee wants to review every available camera angle before determining exactly what happened during the challenge.
The source’s comments nevertheless suggest that, based on the television footage already examined, Fatouh’s action was considered sufficient for a yellow card.
With the defender already on a booking, that would have changed the situation significantly by leaving Zamalek with 10 players.
Instead, Fatouh remained on the field as Zamalek went on to complete a 3-0 victory.
The incident is now set to receive further scrutiny once the full match recording reaches the referees’ committee.
The committee’s final assessment could provide a definitive answer to one of the main controversies from the game and clarify whether referee Mohamed El-Ghazi made an error by choosing not to issue Fatouh with a second yellow card.
For now, Zamalek can take satisfaction from collecting their first three points of the season, while the refereeing committee continues its review of an incident that has generated considerable debate among Egyptian football supporters.
