The Referees Committee revealed an analysis of the penalty kick incident involving Al-Ahly Club against Sharqia Enppi in the opening round of the league competition.
In a video published on the official page of the Football Association, the Referees Committee confirmed the validity of the penalty kick awarded to Al-Ahly Club.
It also stated that referee Mahmoud Naji should have shown a yellow card to the Sharqia Enppi defender.
The analysis of the incident was provided by Gamal El-Ghandour, a member of the Referees Committee, as follows: "There are considerations we must take into account... Did the attacker attempt to play the ball? Yes, the attacker was attempting to play the ball."
He added, "It was the defender who did not attempt to play the ball and merely pushed the attacker from behind."
He continued, "In this position and given the attacker's movement, the defender did not need to apply a strong push to bring him down... The push was sufficient to prevent the attacker from reaching the ball in this situation."
El-Ghandour further stated, "Therefore, there was a foul and a penalty kick. The referee's positioning allowed him to see the incident clearly; the on-field decision was a penalty kick, which was upheld by the VAR referee."
He concluded, "The main Referees Committee's decision confirms the penalty kick, and the referee should have issued a yellow card."
Al-Ahly secured victory in the opening match with a 3-2 scoreline in the game held at Cairo Stadium.
