Al-Ahly is considering imposing a severe penalty on Mahmoud Hassan Trezeguet for his insistence on taking the penalty kick in the match against Inter Miami in the Club World Cup opener.
Palestinian Wissam Abu Ali was supposed to take the penalty kick that Ahmed Sayed Zizo won for Al-Ahly, but Trezeguet insisted on taking it.
Zizo also tried to take the ball and take the kick, but Trezeguet refused. The scene of the three players fighting over who would take the penalty kick sparked outrage among the fans, and it appears that the anger even reached the club’s management.
According to Egyptian press reports, Al-Ahly has decided to open a comprehensive investigation into the entire incident, which will lead to the punishment of the offender.
It is likely that Trezeguet, who recently joined the Red Castle, will pay the price. He will likely be fined a hefty fine for violating the penalty taker hierarchy, especially since he ultimately missed the penalty, squandering Al-Ahly’s chance to achieve a historic victory by all standards.
However, at the same time, Al-Ahly’s management, headed by Mahmoud El-Khatib, has decided to keep the matter confidential. Neither the results of the investigation, which will be led by sporting director Mohamed Youssef, nor the fines imposed on Trezeguet or any other player, will be announced.
The matter will be limited to a financial fine only and will not escalate to exclusion from the Palmeiras match scheduled for next Thursday.
It’s worth noting that Al-Ahly would have earned $2 million had they won against Inter Miami. However, in the draw, which was partly due to Trezeguet’s missed penalty kick, they only received $1 million.
