The Egyptian league leaders were outclassed in Tunis as coach Hossam Hassan’s twin brother pointed finger at referee Neant Alioum.

“A big match like this one requires a referee with a strong character. The referee was weak and the match was above his level,” Ibrahim Hassan said after the game.

“The CAF headquarters is in Egypt. The officials eat, drink and sleep in Egypt, even so they didn’t respect Zamalek and they chose a weak referee for the game.

“There were about 200 spectators beside our bench and he didn’t notice it, which proves his weakness.”

Hassan was particularly upset with Alioum’s decision to award Africain a second-half penalty, following Ahmed Ghanem and Mahmoud Fathallah’s double challenge on Youssef Mouihbi.

Heavy

While Hassan believes that ‘the defeat is not disastrous’, Zamalek skipper Abdul-Wahed Al-Sayed admitted that the 4-2 scoreline was heavy for the Cairo giants.

“The result is heavy. It is unacceptable for a team like Zamalek.” Abdul-Wahed, who had a fine game despite conceding four times, said.

“We all share responsibility, I cannot blame individuals after such a defeat.

“We have to work harder in training and maybe we can make good use of the two away goals we scored today.”

The return leg takes place in two weeks’ time in Cairo.