Gaish were on course to gift Ismaili, Ahli's challengers at the top, the prestigious accolade as they were few minutes away from holding the Cairo giants to a 1-1 draw on Wednesday.

However, two stoppage-time goals from Ahmed Fathi and Mohamed Talaat helped Ahli set up a playoff match against fierce rivals Ismaili on Sunday.

Gaish players, despite having nothing to play for, looked nervous throughout the match and surrounded the referee to protest against his decisions more than once.

Hafez believed their actions were justified.

"We were trying to demolish Ahli's title chances, for us it would have been a historic feat," the 34-year-old custodian said after the match.

In a statement carried by their official website under the title 'shame on you', Ahli denounced Hafez's comments.

"Gharib Hafez violated football's ethics code. His words also contradict the principles of the military sector (who owns Gaish club)."