Referee Mahmoud Wafa sparked considerable controversy after refusing to award a penalty to Al Ahly in the final moments of the match between Al Ahly and Ceramica Cleopatra, which ended in a 1-1 draw at the Arab Contractors Stadium.
The ball struck Ahmed Hany’s hand inside the Ceramica penalty area. Video Assistant Referee (VAR), Mahmoud Ashour, called Wafa to review the play and make his decision. Wafa’s decision was that there was no penalty, a ruling that infuriated Al Ahly supporters.
Referees Committee Confirms Wafa’s Decision Against Al Ahly
According to Egyptian media reports, Oscar Ruiz, head of the Egyptian Referees Committee, confirmed the validity of Mahmoud Wafa’s decision against Al Ahly, stating that there was no penalty in the controversial play.
Ruiz reviewed similar cases with Egyptian referees today at the Egyptian Football Association headquarters and affirmed the correctness of Wafa’s decision despite all the objections and criticism.
Ruiz praised Wafa for requesting a review of the offside camera (a camera mounted behind the assistant referee in the upper stands) to determine whether Ahmed Hany deliberately handled the ball or if there was simply no way to avoid it.
When the referee reviewed the footage, he determined that the distance between the player’s body and hand warranted play to continue and therefore decided against awarding a penalty.
Ruiz presented numerous similar incidents approved by FIFA, most notably from a women’s football match between France and Colombia at the Paris Olympics.
Ultimately, the blame fell on Mahmoud Ashour, the VAR referee, who was accused of presenting the wrong angle to the referee. He argued that had Wafa not focused on the situation and insisted on a specific angle, the referee would have made the wrong decision and borne the consequences.
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Mahmoud Wafa will not officiate any more Al-Ahly matches this season
In the same vein, the Referees Committee decided that Mahmoud Wafa will not officiate any more Al-Ahly matches in the Egyptian Premier League until the end of the season.
There is widespread anger towards the referee from Al Ahly fans and officials. His altercation with several Al Ahly players during and after the match makes the prospect of him officiating another game involving Yce Torup a recipe for disaster.
The Egyptian Football Association’s disciplinary committee is set to review the incident following the alleged assault on the refereeing team by Al Ahly players. They will also investigate claims made by Al Ahly captain Mohamed El Shenawy and board member Sayed Abdel-Hafiz that the referee verbally abused and attempted to assault the players.
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Al Ahly escalates the crisis with a fiery statement
On Wednesday evening, Al Ahly issued a strongly worded statement announcing four decisions taken against referee Mahmoud Wafa. The club stated that it had filed an official complaint against him and described his decisions as a “black mark” on the competition, describing them as blatant errors that violated the laws of football.
Al Ahly demanded that the conversation between the match referee and the video assistant referee (VAR) during the play-off be reviewed, that the referee’s arbitrary decisions against Al Ahly players after the match be investigated, and that his appointment as referee for this match be investigated in the first place, given that he had officiated the first-round match between the two teams.
The referee had been in Libya just hours earlier participating in the North African qualifiers for the Africa U-17 Cup of Nations, and upon his return, he was assigned this match, which Al Ahly considers an “incomprehensible” move by the referees’ committee.
Finally, the statement affirmed Al Ahly’s right to take all necessary measures regarding the actions of referee Mahmoud Wafa before all relevant authorities.
