Adel Taima, the former star of Al Ahly, criticized the referee of the Al Ahly vs. Eagle Noir match that took place on Saturday evening in the second leg of the Round of 32 of the African Champions League, which ended with a narrow win for the Reds by one goal to nil.

Al Ahly successfully secured qualification to the group stage of the Champions League, having won the first leg with a score of 1-0.

Taima said during a phone call on the program "Al Match" on Sada El Balad channel: "Congratulations to Al Ahly for the qualification, but honestly, the officiating in the Eagle Noir match was very strange; it felt like the referee was directed against Al Ahly. The sending off of Gradychar in the 15th minute was without a clear reason, and throughout the match, he was signaling to the players in a provocative manner.

He added: "In the first leg, there was unnatural violence from the Burundian players against Al Ahly, and we didn't even see a yellow card, but today the referee used cards only against Al Ahly. It is clear that there are some individuals within the African system who do not want Al Ahly to continue in the tournament."