Zamalek have announced plans to file an official complaint against the Egyptian Football Association’s referees committee following their 2-0 defeat by Al Ahly, accusing Slovenian referee Rade Obrenovic of making decisions that affected the outcome of Sunday’s Cairo derby.
The Egyptian club said its board, led by Hussein Labib, would submit the complaint to the Egyptian Football Association over the officiating in the Egyptian League match at Cairo International Stadium.
The sixth-round encounter ended in defeat for Zamalek, whose players protested against several decisions made by Obrenovic during the match. The White Knights also appealed for two penalties involving Chico Banza, adding to their frustration with the Slovenian official’s performance.
In a strongly worded statement, Zamalek criticised both the referee and the committee responsible for appointing officials, arguing that the decisions made during the derby had undermined the team’s efforts.
Zamalek accuse referee of biased decisions
Zamalek said the complaint was prompted by what they described as unfair treatment during the high-profile meeting with their Cairo rivals.
The club claimed the officiating had a direct impact on the result and accused the refereeing team of making decisions that worked against them.
The statement continued: “The use of an unknown and far less qualified refereeing team led to a series of decisions that were deliberately and blatantly directed against Zamalek, which affected the course and outcome of the match.”
The club also referred to assessments by refereeing experts, insisting that two penalty decisions had gone against them and that the video assistant referee (VAR) system had failed to review other incidents in their favour.
The statement then added: “According to what was confirmed by a number of refereeing experts, there were two penalties not awarded to Zamalek, in addition to the failure to review more than one play in favor of Zamalek via the Video Assistant Referee technology.”
The disputed decisions have added to the controversy surrounding the derby, which Al Ahly won 2-0 to claim victory over their long-standing rivals.
Referees committee comes under fire
Zamalek also directed their criticism towards the Egyptian Football Association’s referees committee, headed by Essam Abdel Fattah, holding it responsible for the problems they believe affected the match.
The club argued that the committee’s decisions had been influenced by pressure directed at Zamalek before the start of the league season. According to the statement, this had contributed to what they described as unequal treatment between the two sides.
The club expressed deep dissatisfaction with the committee’s management and said the officiating in the derby had highlighted the need to reconsider how referees were selected for important matches.
Zamalek also insisted they would take steps to defend the interests of the club and its supporters rather than accept what they consider unfair decisions without a response.
Despite the criticism, the club reiterated that its position on the integrity of the refereeing system as a whole remained unchanged. Its concerns, it said, were directed at those responsible for selecting officials and ensuring that matches were handled fairly.
The statement concluded: “If Zamalek Club has previously affirmed its rejection of questioning the integrity of the refereeing system in general, then the club’s position towards the system in general has not changed, but there are those within the referees committee who must review themselves regarding the selection of referees, and be up to the task, so that justice is the basis of refereeing in matches.”
The complaint marks a formal escalation of Zamalek’s response to the derby defeat, with the club demanding greater accountability from the referees committee following the controversial decisions against Al Ahly.
