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.

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