Essam Abdel Fattah, head of the referees committee at the Egyptian Football Association, confirmed that Egyptian referees are being targeted during the current season, pointing out that the current period is extremely difficult.
Abdel Fattah said in a statement to the "On Target" program broadcast on "On Sport" channel: "We have started from scratch in developing the cultural and technical performance of the referees, as they went through a very difficult period for 4 or 5 years, because during that time we regressed by more than 20 years. No additions were made to Egyptian refereeing through foreign experts; on the contrary, there was a decline."
He added: "It is now clear that there is a great deal of unfairness towards refereeing, whether from outside the refereeing body or from within the refereeing family. We are seeing some comments from some media figures that are far from reality and the truth."
He continued: "I did not expect us to reach this stage. There is an unusual targeting of Egyptian refereeing. Unfortunately, blind fanaticism and unfair competition between some clubs have made refereeing the weakest link, and attacking it is the easiest thing."
He concluded: "We will not allow this to be repeated. Anyone who tries to undermine refereeing will be dealt with firmly, whether from within the refereeing family or from outside it. We will confront lies and incorrect statements. We want to develop refereeing, and we must have your support and stand with us."
He finished: "When the foreign referees were present, what did you do? No one was speaking. Unfortunately, the foreigners (took us back), and we are paying the price now."
