Gamal El-Ghandour, Vice Chairman of the Referees Committee of the Egyptian Football Association, clarified several controversial issues on the football scene, particularly regarding the reasons for his acceptance of the position and the timing of referee Mahmoud Wafa officiating Al Ahly matches.
The Egyptian Football Association board of directors had recently approved the formation of the main referees committee, headed by Essam El-Fattah.
The referees committee included Gamal El-Ghandour as Vice Chairman, Samir Osman as Vice Chairman, along with Wajih Ahmed and Mahmoud Ashour as members.
Gamal El-Ghandour’s assessment of refereeing in the league
Gamal El-Ghandour stated: “I am satisfied with the refereeing performance after three rounds have passed. Claiming that we can radically fix things is practically difficult; we do not have a magic wand and need more time.”
He added in his statements via MBC Masr 2 channel: “Some mistakes occurred in the new season, which is normal as we are at the beginning. Referees need more work and improvement on both the technical and mental levels.”
He continued: “There are positive and negative aspects regarding refereeing. The situation does not call for tearing down the temple and ending things completely; there remain some positive points that can be relied upon.”
The reason for accepting the position of Vice Chairman of the Referees Committee
In this regard, El-Ghandour clarified: “I have built a significant name and history throughout my career in refereeing. For this reason, I felt insulted by the presence of foreign experts heading the position while we are here.”
He added: “The Football Association has repeatedly relied on foreign experts to lead the referees committee, despite the failure of this experiment, even though Egyptian personnel capable of managing this file efficiently are available.”
He elaborated: “Several names were nominated, such as Essam El-Fattah and Samir Osman. In the end, El-Fattah took the position. When the position was offered to me, I did not look at anything else and accepted to undergo the experience.”
The Vice Chairman of the Referees Committee pointed out: “The idea of forming a committee did not originate from Essam El-Fattah. The focus was on establishing a refereeing administration where each member takes responsibility for a specific file. I took on the responsibility for development.”
Analysis of Premier League mistakes and the Ben Cherki incident
El-Ghandour affirmed: “The analysis of refereeing mistakes by the referees committee reflects a collective work mechanism. We strive to adopt the majority opinion in cases that raise controversy on the scene.”
He continued: “Given my experience and being the most senior, and considering the community culture, the acknowledgment of mistakes that may occur during matches was coordinated among the members of the referees committee.”
He added: “Throughout the past three rounds of the league, referees did not resort to video assistant referee (VAR) due to a controversial situation, except for Al Ahly’s penalty kick in the first round against Sharqia Enppi. We had to clarify the matter clearly to the viewers.”
Will Wafa officiate matches for Al Ahly Club?
In another context, El-Ghandour commented that Mahmoud Wafa may officiate matches for Al Ahly Club, as he is an international referee and is available to take on the task at the right time and under the right circumstances. He added: “We do not want to overwork referees or rely on the same referees repeatedly. Instead, the referee must be placed in the right circumstances. I will not defy clubs or place a referee in challenges that may result in danger.”
The Vice Chairman of the Referees Committee concluded: “In the first round of the league, we relied on referee Amine Emara for the match against Zamalek. It was a situation as usual, after he left a good reputation for Egyptian refereeing through his participation in the 2026 World Cup.”
