Al Ahly vs Zamalek chaos continues: Appeals Committee issues update on Cairo derby dispute

Photo Credit: Al Ahly SC

The Appeals Committee of the Egyptian Football Association has decided, in its session held today, to postpone the announcement of its decision regarding the appeals submitted concerning the Zamalek vs Al Ahly match in the first round of the title phase of the Nile Egyptian League.

It was decided that the next session will be held on May 15.

The committee stated that the reason behind the postponement is that the reasons for the decision being appealed have not yet been received from the Clubs Association, which leaves the current documents insufficient to rule on the defenses and arguments of all appealing parties.

The committee also decided to summon the Head of the Competitions Committee of the Clubs Association to its next session before issuing the final decision on the submitted appeals and to notify all the concerned parties.

What happened?

Al Ahly had refused to participate in the Cairo Derby match against Zamalek on March 11, objecting to the appointment of an Egyptian officiating crew to officiate the game and demanding a foreign crew instead.

Subsequently, on March 15, the Egyptian Clubs Association decided to consider Al Ahly as having lost the match and imposed an additional penalty of deducting three points at the end of the season.

However, on March 30, the Association amended its decision, cancelling the three-point deduction while maintaining the outcome of Al Ahly losing the match.

As a result, Zamalek and Pyramids—Al Ahly's rivals in the top spots—submitted appeals, demanding the reinstatement of the three-point deduction. Meanwhile, Al Ahly filed its own appeal, calling for the match to be replayed with a foreign officating crew appointed for the game.