Essam Abdel Fattah comments on the referee's performance in the summit match

Essam Abdel Fattah, head of the referees committee, commented on the officiating performance in the match between Al Ahly FC and Zamalek SC yesterday in the Egyptian League.

Al Ahly FC defeated their traditional rivals Zamalek SC 2-0 on Sunday at Cairo International Stadium, in the sixth round of the Egyptian League.

Abdel Fattah said on Radio On Sport: "It is not for me to evaluate foreign refereeing, but I evaluate Egyptian refereeing and we discuss the difference; the refereeing committee does everything possible."

He added: "Certainly, there are decisions made by the Slovenian referee in the summit match that might differ if the referee were Egyptian, African, or from South America."

He continued: "Zamalek's statement and complaint that the referee is below standard? This referee officiated the match between Belgium and France in the UEFA Nations League during the international break. Is a match of such value not managed by a top referee?".

He added: "I am always against foreign refereeing and I always call for the return of trust in Egyptian refereeing, and our choice of European referees over South American ones is due to the financial cost, as the airfare alone for a referee from South America is very high."