Al Ahli is preparing an official statement to clarify the events that took place at the headquarters of the Egyptian Football Association, following the cancellation of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) review session for the Al Ahli vs Ceramiksa Cleopatra league match. The match featured a clear penalty for Al Ahli in the 92nd minute, but referee Mahmoud Wafa refused to award it, despite all experts unanimously agreeing it was the correct decision. Al Ahli is set to call an emergency meeting to discuss the Football Association's decision to cancel the session and not allow the club's delegation to attend, a move it intends to escalate to protect its rights. A delegation from Al Ahli, including Sayed Abdel Hafez, Nasser Abbas, Gamal Jabr, and an audio expert, arrived at the association's headquarters on Sunday morning, only for the session to be cancelled. The club described this decision as stubborn. The Referees Committee demanded a recommendation from the Football Association limiting attendance to two people, on the condition that they be from the team's technical and administrative staff. Sayed Abdel Hafez, a member of Al Ahli's board of directors, confirmed that there is no legal provision preventing him from attending the VAR review session for the Al Ahli vs Ceramiksa match, which was scheduled for Sunday morning. Abdel Hafez stated during his presence at the association's headquarters: «I attended today because there is nothing legally preventing me from attending as a member of the club's board of directors, and there is no clear regulation specifying the parties allowed to attend». He added: «The Football Association is being stubborn and insisting that only the technical or administrative staff can attend. What if the technical and administrative staff were fired yesterday? Who would be there then? Referee Mahmoud Wafa or Ahmed Magdy?». He continued: «The Al Ahli board of directors knows very well how to defend the club's rights, and it was expected to allow attendance at the session, especially after the association specified certain technical parties».
