Rapid developments occurred at the headquarters of the Egyptian Football Association on Sunday after a hearing for reviewing video assistant room (VAR) recordings of Al Ahly's match against Ceramica Cleopatra was canceled due to a severe administrative dispute between the parties over attendance procedures. The crisis began when the Al Ahly delegation arrived at the association's headquarters, relying on previous official correspondence in which the association had approved the club's request to listen to the recordings. However, the conflict escalated after Sidi Abdel Hafiz, a member of Al Ahly's board of directors, insisted on the full delegation's attendance, while association officials insisted on only two individuals from the technical or administrative staff attending, provided they held official IDs. This led to the cancellation of the session before it began, according to Al-Masry Al-Youm newspaper. Sidi Abdel Hafiz criticizes the football association. Sidi Abdel Hafiz objected to what he described as a violation of regulations and revealed details of what happened inside the association, saying: "We came based on previous correspondence between the club and the football association, and we requested to listen to the recording from the VAR room, and the association agreed to that." Abdel Hafiz added: "We were surprised yesterday by a letter from the football association requesting the presence of specific parties to the hearing, which is against the law and regulations." Sidi Abdel Hafiz escalates the situation. The board member referred to previous incidents to support his objection, stating: "In the 2020 season, after the events of the Egyptian Super Cup between Al Ahly and Zamalek, the football association contacted the two clubs to identify their representatives without specifying any particular parties." He continued his criticism of the association's current method, asking: "The football association demanded the presence of one individual from the technical and administrative staff. What if Al Ahly had dismissed both staffs? Who would have attended the hearing, for example, Mahmoud Wahba and Ahmed Magdy?" Sidi Abdel Hafiz's questions about refereeing decisions. Abdel Hafiz addressed the refereeing file, pointing to conflicting statements within the Egyptian Football Association, and said: "The head of the referees' committee confirmed that the football association did not ask him to bring a foreign refereeing crew for the Al Ahly vs. Zamalek match last season, despite us sending three letters. Who is telling the truth in all of this?" He concluded his statements with a decisive message reflecting the trend toward escalation, saying: "Al Ahly has a board of directors that knows well how to get its rights." Sidi Abdel Hafiz left the association's headquarters with the Al Ahly delegation, a move that confirmed the failure of the session before it started and the continuation of the dispute without solutions so far, with each side sticking to its position, which portends further escalation in the coming hours.
