حاتم ماهر

Zaki's Suspension Discloses Egyptian FA Shortcomings

The Egyptian Football Association should generalize the use of video evidence after Amr Zaki was suspended and fined based on a video footage.
الخميس، 30 أغسطس 2007 - 20:14
The Egyptian Football Association should generalize the use of video evidence after Amr Zaki was suspended and fined based on a video footage.

The Egypt international striker was caught insulting the referee of Zamalek’s match against Al-Baladeya and thus, was handed an EGP 10,000 fine and was suspended for one match.

The decision infuriated Zamalek officials, who believe that their team is being targeted by the Egyptian FA.

The Egyptian FA have only themselves to blame for the negative image they’ve created among many fans in Egypt.

They don’t have set rules to apply in such incidents nor did they try to pass new regulations in order to properly deal with similar issues.

The Egyptian FA stance opened the door for many accusations of their biased attitudes towards certain clubs in Egypt, which is an expected outcome given their poor dealing with any controversial occurrences in Egyptian football.

Every board member expresses his own thoughts and then a unanimous decision comes to light without taking into consideration any regulations, simply because they do not exist.

Two years ago, former Zamalek defender Ibrahim Saied was spotted making a shameful gesture against Mansoura midfielder Ahmed Abdul-Hakam.

However, the Egyptian FA did not take any action against the controversial defender, claiming that the referee’s report did not include the incident.

The Egyptian FA have to make new regulations to end this matter and generate a set of guidelines to act upon once and for all as to regain the respect of the Egyptian football family.