The Referees Committee clarifies Mahmoud Ashour's situation regarding his departure from his position and the facts related to his replacement by El Sabahi.
Essam Abdel Fattah, head of the referees committee at the Egyptian Football Association, expressed that Mahmoud Ashour has great ambitions to work in analysis, highlighting his extensive experience, especially after his contributions to the video assistant referee (VAR) technology within the committee.
Abdel Fattah explained in statements on television that Mahmoud Ashour attended the Football Association meeting today and was given the opportunity to think about his future, confirming that he has not officially informed the committee of his decision regarding leaving yet.
He added, "If Ashour decides to leave, I will be supportive, because the most important thing is to be mentally comfortable within the committee," noting that referee Mohamed Sobhi has significant experience and could be a suitable replacement for Ashour if he chooses to depart.
The head of the referees committee also spoke about Khaled El Ghandour entering the international referees list, confirming that this is "not a favor," especially since he has officiated the most matches in the league using VAR.
He pointed out that Samir Othman’s work in analysis outside Egypt does not hinder his role within the referees committee, emphasizing that he always favors Egyptian referees, particularly after trust in Egyptian officiating was "shaken" during the last season.
Abdel Fattah confirmed that Egyptian officiating is in urgent need of a new generation of referees and revealed that the committee is waiting for a suitable match and good opportunity to assign referee Mahmoud Wafa to officiate a match for Al Ahly.
He concluded his statements by saying that dealing with Mahmoud Wafa's situation at Al Ahly requires some time, explaining, "If a big player has an issue with the coach, it takes time," which is the same situation that applies to Mahmoud Wafa with Al Ahly.
