The third round of the Egyptian League witnessed a bizarre incident that does justice to the wonders of football.
From the Max Stadium in Alexandria, Pharco met Tala’ea El Gaish. Less than two minutes later, an incident occurred that could only be described as comical.
As Pharco goalkeeper Mohamed Saeed Sheika attempted to control the ball outside the penalty area, he came under pressure from the Tala’ea El Gaish striker and lost the ball, allowing another player to shoot it towards goal.
However, strangely, Sheika dived with all his might and blocked the ball with his hands from outside the penalty area. No player on the field, not even the technical staff on the sidelines, noticed this, and the referee took no action, as if nothing had happened!
تصدي باليد من خارج منطقة الـ18 👀
شيكا حارس مرمى فاركو يتصدى لكرة خطيرة بيديه من خارج المنطقة دون احتساب أي خطأ 🧐 pic.twitter.com/uekRwgV65O
— Kora Plus (@KoraPlusEG) August 19, 2025
The ball should have been awarded an indirect free kick to Tala’ea El Gaish, with the goalkeeper receiving a yellow or red card depending on whether the ball was on its way to the net and blocked, or if it could have been blocked by another defender.
This incident brings to mind another similar incident that occurred over 10 years ago, when Ismaily’s Mohamed Awad tackled a similar ball outside the penalty area. The referee also didn’t count the ball and was subsequently suspended.
