Essam Abdel Fattah, head of the referees committee, spoke about the level of referees in the first round of the Egyptian League, praising them and confirming that their performance exceeded his expectations.
Referee Issam Abdel Fattah stated in radio comments on "Radio On Sport": "I was surprised by the officiating performance in the first round, and I did not expect the referees to perform at this level. I expected the performance to be much lower than that."
He added: "The performance of the referees in the first round of the Egyptian League exceeded all expectations for the referees' committee. We had 10 matches, and VAR was only involved in one case, which indicates the referees' focus and the impact of the training camps on their performance."
The head of the referees committee spoke about Hamada El Qalawy, the referee for the Cleopatra FC and Qanah FC match, saying: "Hamada El Qalawy was in a very bad psychological state, but we supported him and stood by him. He managed the match between Cleopatra and Qanah with great efficiency, awarding 3 penalties and a red card without going to VAR."
In a controversial refereeing situation during the match between Al Ahly FC and El Sharkia Enppi FC, Abdel Fattah stated: "Controversial cases like the one that occurred in the Al Ahly match, we gather as a committee and watch them from all angles that clarify the correct picture of the situation."
All members of the referees' committee agreed that Al Ahly FC deserved a penalty, and the referee's decision was correct. Ben Cherki was capable of scoring the goal were it not for the intervention of the El Sharkia Enppi FC defender.
Regarding the possibility of assigning matches for Al Ahly FC to referee Mahmoud Wafa during the current season, he replied: "God willing, but it is necessary to choose the right time and for things to be a bit calm. At the right opportunity, Mahmoud Wafa can officiate for Al Ahly again."
