A Complaint and Urgent Request.. An Official Angry Statement from Al Ahly After the Ceramica Events

Al Ahly Club announced that it has filed an official complaint with the Football Association against Mahmoud Wafa, the referee of the team’s match against Ceramica Cleopatra in the Egyptian Premier League, and also requested to hear the conversation that took place between him and his colleague Mahmoud Ashour in the VAR room regarding the controversial incident that occurred during the match.

Al Ahly stumbled to a 1-1 draw with Ceramica Cleopatra on Tuesday evening in the first round of the championship-deciding group in the competition.

However, stoppage time in the second half witnessed a controversial play, as Yassin Marei sent in a cross that struck Ahmed Hany’s hand inside the penalty area, but Wafa refused to award a penalty kick, sparking the anger of the Red team’s players.

In a statement published on its official website on Wednesday, Al Ahly said: “The club today sent a complaint to the Football Association against referee Mahmoud Wafa, who officiated yesterday’s Ceramica match in the league. The complaint stated that refereeing errors remain a black mark in the competition, and that referee Mahmoud Wafa committed blatant mistakes that violate the Laws of the Game, affected the result of the match, failed to award Al Ahly a correct penalty, and used abusive words and gestures toward the players.”

It added: “In the complaint, we requested to hear the conversation that took place between the on-field referee and the VAR referee while reviewing the play that should have resulted in a penalty kick, in line with what happens in all leagues around the world, and based on statements by Oscar Ruiz, head of the Referees Committee, who confirmed every club’s right to do so in return for paying a financial fee.”

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It continued in its statement: “Al Ahly also requested the announcement of the details of the conversation that took place between the on-field referee and the VAR referee to ensure the integrity and transparency of the competition, with the club committing to promptly pay the financial fees.”

Al Ahly also requested an investigation into the arbitrary decisions taken by the referee against Al Ahly players after the match, after all the mistakes he committed and his abuse and threats toward all elements of the team.

It also called for an investigation into the appointment of referee Mahmoud Wafa to officiate yesterday’s match, despite the fact that he had already officiated a match between the two teams in the first round and committed the same mistakes against Al Ahly and its players at the time. It also questioned the insistence by the Referees Committee on assigning this referee for unclear reasons, despite his having returned from Libya only hours earlier after taking part in a youth tournament there.

Al Ahly noted at the end of its statement that it “reserves the club’s right to take all necessary measures regarding what was issued by referee Mahmoud Wafa before all relevant authorities.”

It is worth noting that Al Ahly is in third place in the league’s championship group with 41 points, five points behind leaders Zamalek.

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