Cairo Derby Explosion: Al Ahly’s No-Show Sparks Unprecedented Football Crisis!

The much anticipated Cairo Derby between Al Ahly &and Zamalek in the Egyptian Premier League turned into unprecedented football crisis as Al Ahly failed to show up resulting in 3 - 0 victory being awarded to Zamalek.

Al Ahly Protests Against Refereeing

The match was set to kick off at 9:30 pm on Tuesday at Cairo International Stadium as part of the 1st round of the championship stage, Al Ahly followed through on their threats and didn't appear at the venue, protesting the appointment of local refereeing team.

Earlier in the day, Al Ahly released statement rejecting the match citing “a lack of coordination between the Egyptian FA and the Clubs’ Association” and repeated refereeing errors that impacted results.

League Regulations & Potential Sanctions

According to the Egyptian premier league regulations for the 2024 - 2025 season, if team withdraws from match but continues in the competition they will be fined, forfeit the match 3 - 0 and have additional 3 point deducted from their tally. The team may also be liable for financial losses related to broadcasting and commercial contracts.

Ministerial Intervention & Failed Resolution

Efforts were made to resolve the crisis with Egypt’s minister of youth and sports intervening to arrange for Saudi referees to officiate the game, their arrival was delayed, forcing the match officials to officially end the game after 20 minute wait.

Zamalek Takes Legal Steps

Zamalek officially recorded their presence at the stadium by filing police report (Case No. 997 of 2025) to confirm that their team, coaching staff and match officials were present, while Al Ahly was absent.

Al Ahly Compensates Fans

Following the forfeit, Al Ahly announced it would refund ticket costs to its fans. The club’s management instructed its executive team to coordinate with Tazkarti, the official ticketing company, to facilitate the refunds.

Emad Moteab Resigns from Clubs’ Association

Former Al Ahly star & Egyptian Clubs’ Association Vice President Emad Moteab resigned following the controversy. Moteab cited his lack of involvement in decision making over the past 3 year and expressed frustration with the league’s handling of key issues.

“Since the association was formed, I've had no role in decision making. I hoped for change but after this crisis, I realized my presence was meaningless” Moteab stated.

League Standings After the Forfeit

• Al Ahly remains 2nd with 36 point after the deduction.
• Zamalek moves up to 35 point in 3rd place.

With the fallout still unfolding, the Egyptian FA's expected to release official statement outlining any further sanctions or actions regarding Al Ahly’s stance on the league’s continuation.

Khaled Hegazy |

Editorar, en

Journaliste sportif spécialisé dans la couverture du football et la création de contenu numérique, alliant expérience éditoriale et expertise des médias sociaux.