Mohamed Maarouf, the referee of the Al Ahly and ZED match, has denied reports claiming that he spoke with Wael Gomaa, Al Ahly’s football director, about substituting one of the team’s players during the game.
What Happened Between Mohamed Maarouf and Wael Gomaa?
Reports circulated in recent hours claiming that Mohamed Maarouf asked Wael Gomaa to substitute Al Ahly player Ali Mahmoud after the player received a yellow card, allegedly to prevent him from being sent off.
Maarouf denied the reports and confirmed that the claims regarding the incident were not accurate.
Referees’ Committee Discusses the Incident
Recent discussions were held between Essam Abdel-Fattah, head of the referees’ committee, and Mohamed Maarouf to review the events that took place during the Al Ahly-ZED match.
During the discussions, the referee denied interfering with Al Ahly’s technical decisions or asking for Ali Mahmoud to be substituted.
VAR Communications Under Review
The relevant authorities are expected to listen to the conversations that took place inside the Video Assistant Referee room to verify the details of the incident and settle the controversy surrounding it.
The referees’ committee currently believes that Mohamed Maarouf did not make a mistake during the Al Ahly-ZED match, pending the completion of the review.
Official Response Expected
An official response is also expected to be sent to ZED after the meeting concludes, providing clarification regarding the circumstances surrounding the incident.
Al Ahly Beat ZED in the Egyptian Premier League
Al Ahly defeated ZED 2-0 in their match on Friday, which was played as part of the second round of the Egyptian Premier League.
The victory gave Al Ahly an important boost at the start of its league campaign, while several incidents from the match later generated controversy.
Wael Gomaa Denies the Claim
Wael Gomaa also denied the reports concerning Ali Mahmoud, describing the claim that the referee asked for the player to be substituted as untrue.
Gomaa stressed that he would not allow any match referee to interfere with the team’s technical decisions or dictate substitutions to the coaching staff.
Mohamed Maarouf’s Position After the Al Ahly-ZED Match
The current position of the referees’ committee is that Mohamed Maarouf did not make a mistake during the Al Ahly-ZED match.
The committee is nevertheless continuing to review the incident, including the VAR communications, before issuing a final clarification.
Did Mohamed Maarouf ask Al Ahly to substitute Ali Mahmoud?
No. Maarouf denied reports that he asked for Ali Mahmoud to be substituted.
What is the referees’ committee’s position?
The committee believes that Mohamed Maarouf did not make a mistake during the match.
Will the VAR communications be reviewed?
Yes. The VAR room communications are expected to be reviewed to clarify the incident.
What was the result of Al Ahly vs ZED?
Al Ahly won the match 2-0 in the second round of the Egyptian Premier League.
