Ahly coach Hossam El-Badry has blamed referee Ahmed Hamdy for the team s surprise 1-1 draw with Talae El-Geish in their opening Egyptian Premier League game on Sunday.
"The referee s decision affected the outcome of the game," El-Badry said at the post-match press conference.
"We can accept the referee s mistakes, but with this huge number of bad decisions it s difficult to accept," he said.
El-Geish stunned Ahly when defender Assem Salah converted from the spot nine minutes before the break, sparking furious protests from Ahly players and coach Hossam El-Badry who argued that the penalty should not have been awarded.
The Red Devils, champions for the past two seasons, were denied a clear penalty at the other end shortly afterwards. But playmaker Ahmed El-Sheikh, back at the club after a one-year loan spell with Maqassa, curled home a free kick in the 57th minute to equalise.
"The team deserved more than a penalty kick as well, because after the game I watched all the referee s mistakes in a video review to make sure of what I said in the press conference," El-badry added.
"The opponent s penalty was not valid, because the ball didn t touch the player s hand," the Ahly coach concluded.
