Thursday’s Cairo derby between Ahly and Zamalek will be refereed by Austrian official Robert Schoergenhofer, the Egyptian FA announced on Tuesday
“We reached an agreement with the Austrian Football Federation to bring in Schoergenhofer to be in charge of the Ahly-Zamalek game despite the adverse circumstances we faced,” the EFA said in a statement on its website.
“We faced many obstacles such as the bad weather in Europe, the closure of airports in several countries and the date of the match, which coincides with the Christmas celebrations.
“Schoergenhofer will be assisted by fellow countrymen Andreas Fellinger and Armin Eder.”
The EFA’s announcement has put an end to widespread reports suggesting that the anticipated clash might be postponed.
The game was originally scheduled to take place in November but it was re-scheduled because it clashed with the Egyptian parliamentary elections.
Schoergenhofer, 37, has been an international referee since 2007. He presided over three European Champions League games this season, including Chelsea’s home game against Slovak side MSKZilina.
The EFA traditionally assigns the Cairo derby to foreign referees due to the heated rivalry between both sides.
Zamalek, who are aiming to end a six-year Egyptian Premier League drought, top the table with 30 points from 13 games.
Defending champions Ahly, who are eyeing a seventh consecutive league triumph, are fourth with 24 points.
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