The Egyptian football community has experienced drama in recent days related to the scheduled match between Al Ahly and Zamalek, which was set for today, Tuesday. It ended yesterday, Monday, with the announcement of the match's cancellation due to Zamalek's withdrawal. The Egyptian Professional Clubs Association announced yesterday the cancellation of the match, which was supposed to be part of the 27th round of the Egyptian Premier League, awarding Al Ahly a 2-0 victory and deducting three points from Zamalek.
Zamalek is now at risk of being relegated to the fourth division if it continues to refuse to play league matches, starting with the game against Ceramica Cleopatra next Saturday, as this would be considered a withdrawal from the competition. Al Ahly increased its points to 45 from 19 matches, placing it second behind the leader Pyramids with 62 points from 25 matches, while Zamalek's tally stopped at 34 points from 21 matches before the three-point deduction.
### Beginning of the Crisis
The crisis began following the conclusion of the match between Zamalek and Al Masry in the 26th round on June 17, where the white team lost 1-2. Zamalek's Board of Directors issued a statement calling for an investigation into the officiating crew due to a failure to award a legitimate goal to the team, according to their claims.
Zamalek decided not to participate in any matches of the second half of the league season until the postponed matches were completed in order, and demanded the establishment of a neutral committee to organize the league away from the clubs' association, stating that they would not play any matches post the scheduled match against فاركو (Farkou) unless these demands were met.
The white team played the postponed match against Farkou last Friday, and after the game, the Zamalek spokesperson confirmed that the team would not participate in any upcoming league matches starting with the game against Al Ahly until its demands were fully satisfied.
The clubs association responded officially to Zamalek's four demands, confirming that investigating referees is a matter for the Egyptian Football Association, not the association itself, and that time constraints would not allow for the suspension of matches in the second round until the postponed matches were completed, adding that Zamalek had already played four matches in the second half according to the schedule announced since February without objections.
### Solution and Dilemma
Egyptian Minister of Youth and Sports Ashraf Sobhi called for an urgent meeting yesterday morning with both Zamalek's president Hussein Labib and the president of the association, Ahmed Diab, to resolve the issue. The minister discussed with the two leaders the review of league organization procedures with the enforcement of regulations on all parties, and the requests of Zamalek's management without disrupting the competition's order, emphasizing that whether or not to play matches is a matter for the club’s management without intervention from any party.
Zamalek players gathered at the club headquarters in preparation for the match against Al Ahly, only to later announce the cancellation of the camp and the non-participation in the match due to "imperative reasons." The association then announced the match's cancellation, awarding Al Ahly a 2-0 victory and imposing financial penalties on Zamalek.
### What Next?
Zamalek is supposed to face Ceramica Cleopatra on Saturday. If the white team insists on not participating in matches and the withdrawal regulations are applied for the second time, the penalties could be even harsher.
A source in the clubs association told AFP: "If Zamalek refuses to play the next match, the regulations will be enforced strictly, which means Zamalek will be considered withdrawn from the league competition, leading to a penalty that forbids the team from participating in competitions for one season, after which it would return to compete in the lower division of the federation, which is the fourth division."
For his part, Ahmed Salem, Zamalek's spokesperson, responded to the team's stance on the upcoming match, saying: "We are considering the matter and will make our decision in the coming hours without haste. If our demands are not met, we will announce our position at the appropriate time." He added, "We will carefully examine the decision and whether there will be any legal repercussions on the club, recognizing that the fans support the board in the decisions we take solely for the benefit of Zamalek."
