Zamalek SC defender Mohamed Ismail has launched a strong criticism of referee Pierre Atcho following his side’s defeat in the CAF Confederation Cup final against USM Alger.
The Egyptian club missed out on the continental title after losing 8-7 in a penalty shootout during the second leg of the final played on Saturday evening.
Zamalek had entered the return fixture trailing 1-0 from the first leg after Palestinian forward Oday Dabbagh scored the only goal for the Algerian side after five minutes.
The Cairo club managed to overturn the deficit during the second encounter by winning with the same scoreline, forcing the contest into penalties. However, USM Alger eventually secured victory to claim the CAF Confederation Cup title for the second time in the club’s history.
Following the defeat, Mohamed Ismail publicly expressed frustration over the officiating and accused the refereeing team of failing to properly deal with a key incident early in the match.
In a post shared on Instagram, the defender suggested that a challenge involving him had not received appropriate attention from match officials or the video assistant referee system.
“I never imagined that I would write about this matter, but you knew how to hide this incident from the match director, the video technology, and the referee who said that I was the one who collided with his shoulder,” Ismail wrote.
The defender also revealed that he suffered a bleeding injury during the opening stages of the match and felt unable to perform at his usual level afterward.
“From the fifth minute, I was bleeding throughout the match and I couldn’t help my team the way I wanted,” he added.
Ismail went on to question the fairness of the officiating during the final and claimed he witnessed members of the refereeing crew celebrating after the game.
Although he did not provide further details regarding the allegation, his comments intensified debate surrounding several controversial decisions made during the contest.
He ended his message with an emotional statement directed toward Zamalek supporters.
“My message to the Zamalek fans is that you are the only protectors of this club.”
The incident that sparked the controversy reportedly occurred within the first ten minutes of the match, when Ismail sustained a bloody injury after contact with a USM Alger player.
Zamalek players protested strongly during the game and appealed for referee Pierre Atcho to review the challenge using VAR technology. The Egyptian side also demanded a red card for the Algerian player involved in the incident, but no dismissal was given.
Former referee and officiating analyst Gamal El-Ghandour later told the WinWin platform that the challenge should have resulted in a straight red card due to what he described as an elbow strike against the Zamalek defender.
El-Ghandour further argued that the referee failed to award a late penalty to the Algerian side and also overlooked another possible dismissal involving Islam Merili, a midfielder for USM Alger.
The controversy has added further tension to the aftermath of a dramatic final, with Zamalek players and supporters continuing to question the officiating decisions that shaped the outcome of the match.
