Zamalek Club's positions have witnessed a clear shift in its discourse towards the Egyptian refereeing file in recent years.
Zamalek has shifted from directing sharp criticisms and repeated accusations against the refereeing to adopting a stance that calls for the necessity of supporting Egyptian referees and rejecting any questioning of their integrity.
Yesterday, Zamalek issued an official statement expressing its great surprise at the early campaign against Egyptian refereeing and the preemptive objection to the formation of the referees' committee.
This came in response to Al Ahly's statement, in which it expressed its concern over the appointment of Essam Abdel Fattah as head of the referees' committee for the new season, denouncing the statements of Hani Abu Rida, the president of the Football Association.. Read the details here.
Zamalek affirmed in its official statement that the early threat to the referees, objecting to certain names, and revisiting refereeing incidents from the previous season with the aim of casting doubt and stirring confusion, is completely unacceptable and aims to terrorize the referees before the start of the season.
The club stressed that it is unacceptable to question the integrity of Egyptian refereeing and all elements of the Egyptian football system, while at the same time praising the efforts of the Football Association board led by Hani Abu Rida.
Zamalek: We reject terrorizing the referees before the start of the season.. and demand the disclosure of the validity of player contracts for the rest of the clubs
Zamalek has thus taken a different path, using a different tone towards the refereeing file compared to what it was in the past periods.
"Yalla Koura" reviews in this report the most prominent stations that reflected this shift, and what was included in the club's official statements and declarations regarding refereeing.
Statement of February 18, 2026
Several months ago, the Zamalek Club board issued an official statement complaining about the continued refereeing errors on the sidelines of the Ceramica Cleopatra match in the round of 16 of the Egypt Cup.
Zamalek said in its statement that it holds the Football Association responsible, demanding a review of the tape of events from the Ceramica match.
The text of the statement was as follows:
"The board of Zamalek Club expresses its severe dissatisfaction with the continued refereeing errors that the team has been subjected to in the recent period, affirming that its previous silence was not due to weakness, but came out of concern for the regularity of local competitions and their not being affected despite the repeated referee errors against the team, as well as the tremendous pressure of matches in a few days and in more than one continental and local championship, all in the interest of the public good of Egyptian football".
"The evidence of this is the holding of the first team's football match against Ceramica in the round of 16 of the Egypt Cup, in the absence of justice and equal opportunities between the two teams despite the club's demand to postpone it, especially since Zamalek represents Egypt in a continental championship, and it also witnessed clear refereeing errors, and came under the influence of a set of actions that preceded the match suggesting that Zamalek's loss of the match would inevitably occur".
"The club questions the reasons for not announcing the refereeing crew before the match with sufficient time, contrary to the usual, as it was revealed after midnight on the night before the match".
"Zamalek also raises legitimate questions about not assigning an international refereeing crew for the video technology".
"The board of Zamalek Club holds the Football Association responsible, demanding a review of the match tape, taking the necessary measures against the refereeing crew and punishing them, and not assigning any future matches for the team to this crew, and an official complaint to this effect will be sent to the Football Association".
"And if Zamalek lost a championship it had held the title of since last season, the club will not stand idly by in the face of what has been witnessed in recent days of decisions that were not fair to Zamalek, and the board affirms that it will take all legal measures that preserve the club's rights and those of its fans, and whoever imagines that the club's rights will be lost in vain is mistaken".
Statement of January 28, 2025
In another incident, Zamalek complained about the grave refereeing errors witnessed in the Egyptian Premier League competitions for the 2024-2025 season.
The club stated in its statement that the refereeing errors were deliberate in favor of one club that obtained many undeserved points.
At that time, Zamalek submitted 3 demands, including holding the erring referees accountable and removing them from matches, and re-evaluating all referees responsible for managing the matches.
The text of Zamalek's statement was as follows:
"The board of Zamalek Club has followed the grave refereeing errors witnessed in some matches of the Egyptian Premier League competition for the 2024-2025 season, which directly affected the results of those matches, to confirm the continued low level of the refereeing system since the beginning of the season".
"The board of Zamalek Club believed that the voice of truth and justice is what is respected, not the waving of threats and seeking support, but unfortunately in recent times and since the beginning of the current football season, we see things that have no relation to justice or truth, which has caused a state of widespread anger among the fans of the White Castle, especially in light of the state of indifference and complete disregard for those errors on the part of those responsible for Egyptian football".
"The board of Zamalek Club wants to remind those responsible for football in Egypt of the pledges they announced before the start of the current season, and to inform them of the existence of a real crisis in refereeing since the beginning of the season, and many clubs, led by Zamalek, have demanded its swift resolution, especially since the repetition of errors confirms that those responsible for the competitions are not following the matches".
"It was agreed in the presence of all Premier League clubs, the president of the Football Association, and the president of the Clubs Association to assign the chairmanship of the referees' committee to a foreign expert, and this has not happened until now without a clear reason, which raises Zamalek Club's fears that what is happening of blatant errors is intentional to distance Zamalek Club from the competition".
"The refereeing errors witnessed in the Premier League matches were seen by many clubs as deliberate in favor of one club that obtained many undeserved points as a result of those errors committed by the referees without fear or dread of accountability, which kills fair competition among all clubs participating in the competition, and of course reduces the value of the largest and oldest competition in the region".
"It is no secret to anyone that our league - unfortunately - has been preceded by many other leagues that have become more professional and considerate of justice to the point that our matches and the grave refereeing errors in them have become a subject of ridicule in all studios in neighboring countries, and despite many promises to hold a fair competition and stand at an equal distance from all clubs, reality confirms that things are heading for the worse".
Therefore, Zamalek Club demands the following:
- Speed in contracting with a foreign expert to lead Egyptian refereeing to save what remains of the season.
- Holding the erring referees accountable and removing them from matches in the coming period.
- Re-evaluating all referees responsible for managing the matches.
"We are the largest sports fortress in Egypt, our fans number in the millions everywhere in the world.. This statement of ours will be the dividing line between truth and injustice, so if everyone does not adhere to the concepts of truth, then we have another stance, and with us are all the honorable and loyal from Zamalek's fans and the fans of other affected clubs from this system that only considers one club".
March 6, 2025.. Mido's attack on refereeing
Ahmed Hossam Mido, who held the position of member of the planning committee at Zamalek Club, launched a sharp attack against Egyptian refereeing.
Mido made fiery statements at that time, affirming that Zamalek was the most affected by refereeing errors, during a press conference at the White Castle.
Mido said: "I see Zamalek for the first time in my life being subjected to injustice in this way".
He added: "Zamalek could have topped the league standings were it not for the refereeing errors the team was subjected to".
He continued: "Has the matter reached the point where the Football Association is belittling Zamalek to the extent of appointing a referee who has not officiated any match for a whole year".. He was referring at the time to referee Mohamed El-Sabbahi.
Mido launches 10 fiery statements against the Football Association and refereeing
Letter of May 31, 2025
In another escalation, Zamalek Club announced sending an official letter to the Egyptian Football Association, complaining about the errors of 4 referees.
Zamalek revealed the names of these referees, demanding that they not appear in the team's matches.
Al-Zamalek demanded the official exclusion of Amin Omar, Mahmoud Al-Banna, Mohamed Al-Sabbahi, and Tarek Magdy from its matches, due to the many errors that occur.. according to what the club stated.
