Referees committee reveals conversation between Mohamed Maarouf and Wael Gomaa

The Egyptian Football Association's referees committee has announced details regarding referee Mohamed Marouf and Al Ahly FC's director of football Wael Gomaa during the recent match against Zed in the Egyptian League.

Kareem Hassan Shahat has confirmed that Mohamed Ma'ruf, the referee for the Al Ahly FC vs ZED match, requested Wael Gomaa to substitute Ali Mahmoud, the Al Ahly FC player, to avoid sending him off after he received a yellow card.

The Referees Committee issued an official statement: "The main referees committee of the Egyptian Football Association has followed up on what has been circulated in recent hours regarding the incident involving referee Mohamed Maarouf and Wael Gomaa, the football director of Al Ahly FC, during the match between Al Ahly FC and ZED, and the allegations raised concerning player Ali Mahmoud."

The statement continued: "The referees' committee confirms that it held a meeting to discuss the incident and listened thoroughly to the recordings from the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) room to ascertain the truth of what transpired during the incident."

He added: "After reviewing the recordings and listening to them, the referees' committee found no evidence that referee Mohamed Maarouf spoke to Wael Gomaa regarding player Ali Mahmoud. The discussion was about Al Ahly FC's request for a foul and the objection from the director of football (Wael Gomaa). Referee Mohamed Maarouf responded that there was no foul, and it was reviewed by the VAR referee. There was no mention in the dialogue of the referee being asked to remove the player for his protection, as was raised in the media."

The referees' committee expresses gratitude to the Supreme Media Council for calling the legal representative of Qanah FC for a hearing regarding this violation. The committee praises the proactive decision of the council, which reflects its commitment to regulating the media landscape and upholding professional values. The committee confirms that it was about to approach the council to take necessary actions regarding the incident, but the decision came swiftly, which the committee appreciates and commends.

He added: "The committee confirms its full commitment to dealing with all incidents and observations related to refereeing with complete transparency and objectivity, while ensuring that facts are verified before issuing any judgments or circulating inaccurate information."

The referees' committee concluded: "We urge all elements of the sports system, media, and fans to support Egyptian refereeing and to be careful not to be swayed by rumors and unverified news, as this has a negative impact on the Egyptian football system."