Cairo, Egypt – A bizarre refereeing incident marred the second division match between Tanta and Telecom Egypt, reigniting the debate surrounding the absence of Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology in the competition.
During Thursday’s match, referee Abdel Aziz El Sayed awarded a penalty to Telecom Egypt in the 41st minute after a foul just outside the penalty area. This decision sparked widespread protests from Tanta players.
The crisis escalated after coach Ayman Al-Muzain instructed his players to leave the field in protest against the decision. The match was then suspended for several minutes.
In an unusual incident, fourth official Hossam Hassan resorted to reviewing the play using a mobile phone, despite the absence of VAR technology in the professional league. As a result, the penalty decision was overturned.
The referee decided to restart play by awarding a direct free kick just outside the penalty area, which in turn sparked protests from the Telecom Egypt players. Abdelwahed El-Sayed, the team manager, intervened to defuse the situation.
After a delay of more than 20 minutes, the match resumed. The free kick was successfully taken. The game then ended in a 1-1 draw, a match that will forever be remembered for one of the strangest refereeing decisions.
