Essam Abdel Fattah, head of the Referees Committee, expressed his anger over the questioning of referees' integrity as the Egyptian League kicked off.
Abdel Fattah said in a television interview on CBC channel: "We are going through a state of tremendous doubt... If I had known what I would face when I accepted the responsibility of the Referees Committee... unfortunately, we are being attacked by some of our own."
He warned the skeptics, saying: "We will not accept any questioning, and we will strike with an iron hand, in accordance with laws and regulations, against anyone who undermines the rights of refereeing or questions refereeing without justification."
He added, "I will hold a meeting with Hany Abu Rida, the Federation President, to look for solutions regarding refereeing."
Regarding the controversy over the Al Ahly vs. Zed match in the second week of the league, Abdel Fattah said, "I spoke with Mohamed Marouf, and his account was completely different from what was circulated. We will listen to the VAR recording of the match."
He continued, "Al Ahly was demanding a penalty, and that is when the conversation took place between Marouf and Wael Gomaa, Al Ahly's team manager... There is preventive refereeing where the referee warns the player."
Karim Shatta, a program host on Al Hayat channel, claimed that Mohamed Marouf, the referee of the Al Ahly vs. Zed match, warned Wael Gomaa, the team manager, to substitute Ali Mahmoud, as he had received a yellow card, before the channel's legal representative was summoned due to violations of media codes... Click here to read the details
The head of the Referees Committee added, "Zed Club's statement did not address the Ali Mahmoud incident, but rather spoke about an issue from last season, and I told them that we are starting a new page."
Regarding his conversation with Wael Gomaa, Al Ahly's team manager, he replied, "Wael Gomaa did not speak with me to verify the truth of Mohamed Marouf's conversation with him."
On continuing to analyze refereeing incidents, he said, "We will continue to analyze incidents, but if we find that this is being misunderstood, it will force us to back down from doing so."
He added, "I received phone calls, and every club official wants to get more than their due. There is a setup against refereeing, and they do not want to forget the past."
Abdel Fattah revealed his struggles with the available resources, stating, "We have a small number of referees, not exceeding 2,200 in Egypt."
He concluded his remarks on the Mansoura vs. Farco match controversy by saying, "Only video technology can clarify the situation in the Mansoura vs. Farco match. Professional matches are not played with VAR, and no player from Mansoura objected on the field to Farco's goal."
He finished by saying, "The President of Mansoura spoke with me about the first match against El Mokawloon Al Arabi. The referee may have made a mistake, but the mistake did not affect the result of the match."
Mansoura withdrew from the match against Farco due to their objection to a goal awarded from an offside position.
The Egyptian Football Federation imposed sanctions on Mansoura Club due to the withdrawal... Click here to read the details
