Etoile Sportive du Sahel sues referee Khaled Gouider for insulting its fans

Etoile Sportive du Sahel has announced that it is taking legal action against referee Khaled Guider, who officiated the team's match against Club Africain, accusing him of making offensive and racist remarks towards the Sahel region and the club's fans, in an incident that has sparked outrage among the team's officials.

Etoile Sportive du Sahel drew with Club Africain 1-1 in a postponed match from the seventh round of the Tunisian Professional League, which took place on Saturday evening at the Olympic Stadium in Sousse. The match saw widespread protests from the players and officials of the home team after a goal by Etoile was disallowed by the referee and VAR for offside, before tensions escalated in the final minutes with a confrontation between Ziad Jaziri, the team's official, and the referee.

In an official statement issued today, Sunday, Etoile Sportive du Sahel launched an attack on the referees' committee, announcing its intention to sue Kouider in civil court, following what it described as serious violations affecting the Sahel region and the club's fans.

The club stated that the referee used offensive language towards the Sahel region and the fans of Etoile Sportive du Sahel, in the presence of those attending. It considered that insulting an entire region and the fans of a club represents a serious breach that is not in line with the referee's responsibility, who is supposed to act impartially towards all parties.

The statement added that what was said by the referee prompted some attendees to intervene and respond to those remarks, emphasizing that the club has witnesses to the incident, and stressing that it will file a lawsuit in defense of its fans' dignity and the region's right not to be subjected to insult.

In a related context, Etoile Sportive du Sahel rejected the accusations made by Kouider against Ziyad Jaziri, after the referee mentioned in the match report that a club official threatened him with violence. The team denied the validity of what was stated in this regard.

Club Africain has renewed its objection to the Tunisian Football Federation's refereeing committee's decision to appoint Kouider to officiate the match, stating that it had previously expressed reservations about assigning matches to him due to past stances that it claimed affected its confidence in his ability to manage encounters with neutrality and objectivity.

Etoile Sportive du Sahel has escalated tensions following a statement from Club Africain attacking the referees' committee, headed by former international referee Najib Jwaini, objecting to refereeing decisions in its recent matches and accusing on-field referees and the video assistant referees of committing violations that harmed the team, which won the league title last May.