The referees' committee clarifies the truth about a malfunction in the video technology during the top match.
A source from the referees' committee clarified the rumors circulating in recent hours regarding the malfunction of the video assistant referee (VAR) during the recent Cairo derby between Al Ahly and Zamalek, which ended with a 2-0 victory for the red team.
The source confirmed that the VAR was functioning normally during the match, noting that the referee's decision not to use the video was a technical choice based on his observations on the pitch, not due to any technical failure.
Issam Abdel Fattah: If the referee had been Egyptian, he would have awarded a penalty to Zamalek, and here are the details of the referee selection for the derby
In a related context, Issam Abdel Fattah, head of the referees' committee, stated that the committee operated with transparency and integrity in the matter of bringing in foreign referees to officiate the derby, explaining the details of communication with several European countries to select the officiating crew for the match.
Details of the referee selection for the derby
Abdel Fattah said during a call with journalist Saif Zahir on the program "Malab On," which airs on On Sport Channel, that the committee contacted five major countries, but Germany declined, while Spain and Portugal suggested unclassified referees, as he described them.
The head of the referees' committee added that all World Cup referees have commitments to matches at the moment, and Polish referee Szymon Marciniak declined to officiate the match due to his commitment to a game in Saudi Arabia.
Abdel Fattah emphasized that the referee who officiated the match belongs to the elite category and has previously officiated a match between Belgium and France in the UEFA Nations League, while also asserting that he opposes relying on foreign referees permanently, stating: "I am against foreign referees on a permanent basis."
Regarding the controversial refereeing situations, Abdel Fattah explained that the shared ball incident between Marwan Attia and Chikopanza was ruled a goal kick because the ball had gone out of play before reaching Chikopanza and the contact with Marwan Attia occurred.
On the situation involving Achraf Dari and Chikopanza, the head of the referees' committee pointed out that such cases are not awarded as penalties in the European leagues he mentioned, while they are awarded in Egypt, considering that the difference in refereeing standards leads to varying decisions from one competition to another.
