Egyptian football officiating and VAR controversies

Tensions have emerged within Egyptian football regarding media neutrality and officiating fairness. Journalist Moataz El-Shamy criticized sports media for a lack of neutrality toward Zamalek, calling for better regulation to prevent inflammatory discourse and mockery of the club.

Following a 2-0 loss to Al Ahly in the Cairo Derby, Zamalek SC filed an official complaint with the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) against the main refereeing committee. Led by Hussein Labib, the club alleged that officiating errors by the Slovenian crew directly impacted the match outcome. Specifically, Zamalek claimed that critical incidents, including two unawarded penalty shouts, were not reviewed via VAR, and suggested that external pressures may have compromised the fairness of the league.

The dispute escalated after the EFA officially rejected Zamalek’s request to listen to the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) audio recordings. The EFA cited a precedent from the previous season, noting that a similar request from Al Ahly was also denied, and argued that granting access to Zamalek could lead to claims of unequal treatment. Furthermore, officials suggested the club’s request was too general and lacked specific details regarding the incidents in question.

Zamalek’s media director, Maher Gharib, expressed frustration over the lack of transparency, questioning why the EFA had not officially communicated any decision prohibiting clubs from hearing VAR communications. This friction also resulted in a televised verbal altercation between Gharib and journalist Ibrahim Fayek concerning the club’s communication strategy and its stance toward the federation.