Zamalek SC slam officiating after Egypt Cup exit

In the aftermath of their shock Egypt Cup exit, Zamalek SC have  punched holes in the North African country’s officiating standards and a fixtures’ jam.

The reaction of the Egyptian Premier League giants follows their 2-1 loss to Ceramica Cleopatra FC in the Egypt Cup Round of 16 at the Suez Canal Authority Stadium on Tuesday.

بيان من مجلس إدارة نادي الزمالك.#Zamalek | #MostTitledIn20C | #الزمالك_أولًا | #أكبر_قلعة_رياضية pic.twitter.com/lQpYTWwaST

— Zamalek SC (@ZSCOfficial) February 18, 2026

In a strongly-worded statement, the deposed Egypt Cup holders complained over the Egyptian Football Association’s (EFA) indifference to the team’s CAF Confederation Cup assignments when assigning domestic fixtures.

“The evidence for this is the holding of the first football team’s match against Ceramica in the Round of 16 of the Egypt Cup, in the absence of justice and equal opportunities between the two teams, despite the club’s demand to postpone it, especially since Zamalek represents Egypt in a continental championship,” reads part of the statement.

Zamalek questions Egypt FA

The Cairo heavyweights also questioned what they perceive as EFA’s lack of transparency in referees’ selection while also questioning the competence of the selected officiation personnel.

Zamalek says ‘it witnessed clear refereeing errors’ further wondering why the refereeing team was not announced days in advance of the match but rather ‘after midnight on the night before the game.’

The 29-time Egypt Cup winners have since warned that its recent silence on the refereeing standards was not a sign of a weakness, ‘but rather came out of concern for the regularity of local competitions.’

How Ceramica Cleopatra FC stunned Zamalek SC

Zamalek also wondered why EFA did not appoint an international team to man the Video Assistant Referee technology.

Therefore, the 14-time Egyptian Premier League winners are “demanding a review of the match tape, taking the necessary measures against the refereeing team and punishing them, and not assigning any future matches for the team to this team.”

During the disputed game, Ceramica took the lead in the 18th minute via A Hossam Abdelmaguid’s deflected effort. Despite trailing, Zamalek equalised deep into first-half stoppage time (45+2) through Mohamed Ismail.

However, the never-say-die attitude of Ceramica paid dividends as they put their noses in front again in the 70th minute through Ahmed Belhaj’s strike.

Cleopatra FC advanced to the quarterfinals to face Tala’ea El Gaish SC. The match is scheduled for 7:30 PM GMT on Wednesday, March 18.