Zamalek's first move against the referees' committee after losing the Cairo derby

- Zamalek Club announced, through its accounts on social media platforms, on Monday night, that it had filed a complaint with the Egyptian Football Association against the Referees Committee, due to what it described as “the injustice it was subjected to” during the confrontation with Al-Ahly Club. The "White Knight" team lost to its counterpart, the "Red Giant", with two clean goals, on the grounds of Cairo International Stadium, on Sunday, in the top matches of the eighth round of the league.

Zamalek club members objected during the match and afterwards to the match referees, led by Slovenian Rade Obrejonovic, as they believed that they deserved to award a penalty kick in their favor in the 77th minute after obstructing player Chico Panza inside the box. The “White Knight” team said in its statement: “The use of an unknown refereeing team that was far below the value of the match led to a set of decisions being taken deliberately and crudely directed against Zamalek, which affected the course and result of the match.”

He continued: “According to what was confirmed by a number of arbitration experts, there were two penalty kicks that were not awarded to Zamalek, in addition to not reviewing more than one game in favor of Zamalek via the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology.” The club explained that it “holds the main referees committee responsible for the loss, as it was affected by the campaign it was subjected to before the start of the league, which resulted in an absence of justice and the committee deliberately favoring and favoring one party at the expense of Zamalek,” according to the statement.

The club expressed its "strong dissatisfaction with the way the referees' committee is currently managed, as evidenced by the mistakes of the Slovenian referee in the summit match," stressing: "Zamalek will not stand idly by, and knows very well how to protect the rights of the club and its fans." He continued: “The club previously confirmed its refusal to question the integrity of the arbitration system in general, and the club’s position has not changed towards the system in general, but there are those within the referees’ committee who must review themselves regarding the referees’ choices, and be up to the responsibility, so that justice is the basis of arbitration in matches.”

There has been no response from the Egyptian Football Association, the Professional Clubs Association, or the Referees Committee to the “White Knight” team’s statement yet.