Egyptian Nile League: Final decision made regarding Cairo Derby fallout in March
- Hossam Ahmed
- May 15
- 2 min read
Events continue to unfold following the chaos surrounding the last Cairo Derby, in which Al Ahly decided not to attend the match and consequently forfeited a defeat to Zamalek by a 3-0 result.
The Appeals Committee of the Egyptian Football Association decided not to change the decision issued by the Egyptian Clubs Association on March 30, which considered Al Ahly defeated 3-0, without imposing any additional point deductions as a penalty for not attending the match.
This decision means that the current Egyptian Premier League standings remain unchanged, with Al Ahly at the top of the table with 52 points, followed by Pyramids with 50 points with just two rounds before the end of the season.
Zamalek have responded swiftly, saying the club plans on appealing to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
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.
The Appeals Committee also made several recommendations as follows:
The committee recommended canceling two articles from the League’s competition regulations, describing them as infringing on the jurisdiction of the Appeals Committee and the general committees of the Federation. It also recommended amending the Egyptian Football Association's competition regulations so that six points are deducted immediately in the event of a match withdrawal, without waiting for the end of the season, in addition to applying other penalties.
The committee also recommended to align the league competition regulations with those of the Egyptian Football Association and the internationally recognized FIFA regulations. It further recommended that the league draw—whether for the first or second round—be conducted publicly and in the presence of representatives of all clubs. Additionally, it referred to giving confidence to the Egyptian refereeing system, upholding national interest, and fostering a spirit of cooperation and unity among clubs.
