Referee Mahmoud Wafa has once again sparked controversy in the Egyptian Premier League by awarding a new penalty during his officiating of the match between Wadi Degla and Al-Qanah.
Wadi Degla faced Al-Qanah this evening, Tuesday, at the Peace Stadium, as part of the third round fixtures of the Egyptian Premier League.
During the goalless draw between the two teams, referee Mahmoud Wafa awarded a penalty kick to Wadi Degla, citing a foul on the home team's striker.
Television replays showed that the Wadi Degla striker's fall resulted from his own feet colliding with each other, not from contact with an Al-Qanah defender, which should have led to the penalty being disallowed.
Al-Qanah's new wall 🤚 Mohamed Shaaban shines and saves Wadi Degla's penalty brilliantly pic.twitter.com/G4WWvObP1g@ONTimeSports
Remarkably, the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) officials upheld referee Mahmoud Wafa's decision and ordered the penalty to be taken; however, Al-Qanah's goalkeeper delivered an outstanding performance, saving the shot and converting it into a corner kick, thus maintaining the goalless stalemate.
Mohamed Shaaban, Al-Qanah's goalkeeper, continued his impressive form by saving three penalty kicks in the first three rounds of the Egyptian Premier League. He had previously saved two penalties against Ceramica Cleopatra in the opening round, and added another save in today's match.
It is worth noting that Mahmoud Wafa previously caused controversy last season in the Egyptian Premier League when he refused to award a penalty to Al-Ahly in their match against Ceramica Cleopatra, which ended in a 1-1 draw.
