English Premier League
Al Ahly launch fierce attack on Egyptian FA over ‘crisis-provoking’ decisions
Al Ahly have opened a fresh dispute with the Egyptian Football Association, accusing it of making decisions that could deepen tensions in Egyptian football and describing recent refereeing statements as “catastrophic”.
In a strongly worded letter issued on Sunday and published on the club’s official website, Al Ahly said it had expected a new phase of development for Egyptian football, following a plan announced by the Minister of Youth and Sports in co-ordination with the Egyptian Football Association several weeks ago.
That plan was intended to build on the Egypt national team’s impressive performance at the most recent World Cup.
Instead, Al Ahly said it had been confronted with decisions that offered little encouragement for the future and risked inflaming disputes across the sporting landscape. The club said that approach contradicted the stated aim of improving the country’s football system.
The club’s main objections included the decision to appoint a former office-holder as chairman of the Referees Committee. The Egyptian Football Association has announced that Essam Abdel-Fattah will lead the committee for the 2026-27 season.
Al Ahly argued that Abdel-Fattah’s previous spell in the role had failed to deliver justice for most clubs, including Al Ahly. It also criticised terms used during that period, such as “containment” and “spirit of protocol”, saying they were unusual and had contributed to the club declaring at the time that the Referees Committee had lost its credibility and integrity in the eyes of the public.
In protest, Al Ahly said it had completed its league campaign using young players and those returning from injury. The club also declined to take part in the Egypt Cup.
The Cairo club further alleged a clear and explicit breach of regulations in the handling of financial obligations. It claimed that some bodies had failed to settle money owed to state institutions but had nevertheless received the necessary approvals.
Al Ahly said the president of the Egyptian Football Association had publicly praised those organisations as being among the most committed to making payments and had described their contracts as valid. The club argued that this gave the impression that contracts held by other clubs were invalid.
It also accused the association’s president of ignoring legitimate rights recognised internationally, including the distinction between sporting activity contracts and commercial rights contracts.
Dispute over African places
Al Ahly criticised the association’s handling of a proposal to increase the number of Egyptian clubs allowed to compete in the CAF Champions League.
According to the club, the association’s president submitted a request to the Confederation of African Football (CAF) seeking more places for Egyptian clubs, but received a rejection. Al Ahly said the decision was then kept secret for an entire week without justification.
The club said the delay raised questions, particularly if the intention had been to wait until the clubs holding African licences had been identified.
Al Ahly also condemned recent comments made by the video assistant referee involved in last season’s match between Ceramica and Al Ahly during the final phase of the league, as well as remarks from a member of the Referees Committee.
The club described the statements as “catastrophic” and said they represented a dark moment in the history of Egyptian refereeing.
Al Ahly said the VAR official had revealed unjustified intransigence by the on-field referee in refusing to award the club a valid penalty. It added that the Referees Committee member had confirmed the same incident and had clearly indicated that someone from outside the association’s structure was interfering in the committee’s work.
The club said it had repeatedly warned about such interference.
Al Ahly concluded that the Egyptian Football Association’s latest decisions, appointments and statements did not inspire optimism or encourage co-operation. It said the association must accept full responsibility for managing the game.
The club added that all parties had been waiting for decisions that would benefit every team, given that clubs are the foundation for developing the players who helped the Egypt national team make a strong impression at the most recent World Cup.
Al Ahly ended its letter by expressing hope that matters could be put right in a way that served Egyptian football and delivered fairness to all parts of the game.