Egyptian giants Al Ahly have given the Egyptian Football Association a strong ultimatum, clearly stating their intentions to boycott the Cairo derby and withdrawing from the Egyptian Premier League altogether should their demands not be met.

The derby between two Egyptian powerhouses Al Ahly and Zamalek SC, scheduled to take place on Tuesday (21:30) at Cairo International Stadium, is in doubt after the defending champions issued a statement citing their dissatisfaction with the appointed match officials.

In light of this, The Red Devils want a foreign refereeing crew to take charge of Tuesday’s high-stakes match or the postponement of the game as they insist, they won’t take part in the clash with a local referee in charge due to repeated errors they commit.

“The club’s board of directors discussed, in its emergency meeting held at 11:00 am, the clear ‘confusion’ that the football system is witnessing in an unprecedented manner, in addition to the lack of coordination between Egyptian Football Association and the Professional Clubs Association, which is pushing the clubs into continuous crises and problems,” read the club statement.

“The board also discussed the crisis of today’s match (Tuesday), and its assignment to an Egyptian refereeing team, despite the association’s contact with the Football Association and requesting foreign referees for the match, after the unjustified refereeing errors that crossed all limits and affected the results of the matches.

“Sometimes, it even extended to trying to determine the path of the championship. In addition, the club has sent numerous official correspondences to the Football Association during the past period, requesting the development of the refereeing system and attention to it, and assigning the referees committee to a foreign expert with a CV that qualifies him to restore things to their natural place, while at the same time providing the atmosphere and assistants who help him to succeed.

“Unfortunately, we did not find any reply or response to our correspondence. Even if a competent player is sometimes appointed, we find that some seek to “exclude” him, and the refereeing system still represents the biggest question mark in Egyptian football.

“In light of all these recurring crises, and insistence on not assigning today’s match to a foreign refereeing crew and providing refereeing justice and to preserve the club’s rights, the Board of Directors has decided the following:

“Adherence to postponing the match until compliance with the decision of the Professional Clubs Association that organizes the league competition, and the club’s desire to hold today’s match with a foreign refereeing crew, to provide justice between the competing clubs.” 

In the event of non-response, Al Ahly club announces the non-completion of the league championship. The Board of Directors is in continuous session to discuss all developments in this regard. 

The two teams played to a 1-1 draw when they met in February in the Egyptian Premier League with the White Knights’ Mahmoud Bentayg cancelling Al Ahly’s opener through former Zamalek striker Achraf Bencharki.