⚖️ Sami Helal Assesses Early-Season Refereeing
Former international referee Sami Helal has assessed the refereeing level after the first five rounds of the Egyptian Premier League, describing the overall performance as “acceptable.”
Helal acknowledged that several refereeing mistakes occurred during the opening rounds, with some directly affecting match results while others did not have a decisive impact on the final score.
⭐ Praise for the First Round
Speaking to Hany Hethout, Helal described the refereeing performance during the opening round as “more than excellent.”
He also stressed that the current international break provides the Referees Committee with an opportunity to review the first five rounds, preserve the positive aspects and discuss mistakes with referees to reduce the chances of repeating them.
📺 Helal Discusses Al Gouna vs Al Mokawloon Incident
Helal also referred to an incident during the third-round match between Al Gouna and Al Mokawloon Al Arab.
He discussed penalty incidents involving Al Mokawloon after situations he described as “simulation” attempts by Idrissa Tiam.
According to Helal, one of the incidents involved VAR intervention, with the on-field referee being called to the monitor to review the decision before changing his call.
🚨 Criticism of Penalty Incidents
The former referee also pointed to another incident involving Tiam during Al Mokawloon’s fifth-round match against Wadi Degla.
Helal described what he considered repeated attempts to win penalties and said: “He made three penalty simulations and got two of them. He is the one who goes toward the defender, puts his leg there and falls. That is not acceptable.”
His comments reflect his criticism of situations in which he believes a player attempts to manufacture a penalty without a clear foul by the defender.
🔥 International Break Offers Chance to Improve
Helal concluded that while the overall refereeing level during the first five rounds was acceptable, there remain incidents that require review and discussion.
He sees the current international break as an opportunity for the Referees Committee to analyze controversial situations, explain decisions to referees and work on reducing similar errors in the coming rounds.
