Zamalek have entered the growing dispute over Egyptian refereeing by backing the integrity of officials and condemning what they described as an unacceptable campaign of pressure before the new season.
The Cairo club also called on the Egyptian Football Association and the relevant authorities to establish whether the contracts of every player at every club are valid, saying the information should be made public in the interests of transparency.
Zamalek issued their statement hours after Al Ahly escalated its criticism of the Egyptian Football Association. Al Ahly sent a strongly worded letter attacking several recent decisions, arguing that they would not help develop Egyptian football and could create further problems within the sport.
The club also accused the association of breaching regulations and criticised recent comments made by some referees, describing those remarks as “disastrous”.
In response, Zamalek said: “The Zamalek board has followed with great astonishment the early campaign against Egyptian refereeing and the premature objection to the formation of the refereeing committee.”
The club said it wanted to set out its position publicly in response to what it called attempts to undermine confidence in the refereeing system.
Zamalek argued that early threats against referees, objections to particular appointments and the repeated use of controversial incidents from last season were designed to create doubt and confusion.
It said such behaviour was completely unacceptable and amounted to an attempt to intimidate referees before the start of the new campaign.
The club added that similar practices had become a recurring feature in recent seasons, rather than an isolated dispute ahead of the latest season.
Zamalek said: “Questioning the integrity of Egyptian refereeing, or of any part of the Egyptian football system, is unacceptable.”
The club reaffirmed its full support for the refereeing structure and rejected any attempt to damage its credibility. Its statement did not identify the clubs or individuals behind the criticism it was addressing.
Zamalek also praised the work of the Egyptian Football Association board, led by Hany Abou Rida, saying it appreciated the efforts being made to improve the organisation and development of Egyptian football.
The club said the association was seeking to build on the success achieved by the senior national team during its most recent participation in the World Cup, with the aim of producing a positive impact on the future of the game in Egypt.
The statement further welcomed comments from the president of the Egyptian Football Association, who had said that all of the club’s player contracts were valid.
Zamalek then urged the football association and the relevant authorities to examine the contracts of players at all clubs and disclose whether they comply with the rules.
It said that publishing the findings would uphold the principle of transparency and allow the full truth to be established before the public, away from speculation, disputes and accusations.
The two statements from Al Ahly and Zamalek have highlighted tensions around refereeing, regulations and contract information as Egyptian football prepares for the new season.
