Zamalek SC have confirmed they have filed an official complaint to the Confederation of African Football (CAF) after their 1-1 draw against Kaizer Chiefs at the Peter Mokaba Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
The White Knights took an early lead in their Confederation Cup showdown, after just three minutes via Seifeddine Jaziri and looked to be heading for maximum points and joint top of the Group D with domestic rivals Al Masry.
But a last-minute equaliser from Dillan Solomons deep into second half stoppage time saw them drop two points and keep the situation wide open, with Chiefs next fixtures, back to back against ZESCO United.
“The board of directors of Zamalek Club decided to file an official complaint with the Confederation of African Football [CAF] against the Rwandan refereeing team led by Samuel Uykunda, following the refereeing errors witnessed in the first football team’s match against South Africa’s Kaizer Chiefs in the second round of the group stage matches of the African Confederation Cup,” the club statement read.
“Zamalek Club asserts in its complaint that the refereeing errors in this match affected the final result of the encounter, and that the team deserved a penalty kick for the Angolan player Chico Banza. In addition to the cancellation of a valid goal for the Tunisian Saifeddine Jaziri without a reason that is clear to everyone who watched the match.
“In addition to the referee’s excessive use of yellow cards against Zamalek players throughout the match. Zamalek, in its complaint to the African Union, demands the need to intervene and select appropriate referees to reduce the phenomenon of refereeing errors that affect the results of many matches in the tournament.
“The club also urgently demands that CAF ensure the presence of Video Assistant Referee [VAR] technology in upcoming matches, starting from the third round of the group stage, because the absence of VAR technology in matches affects the integrity of the competition.
“It is time to take decisions that will reform the refereeing system at the level of African tournaments, including the Confederation Cup.”
