Photo courtesy of Al Ahly SC
The Egyptian club criticized the referee’s performance in the away match, accusing him of failing to protect their players and of not issuing warranted disciplinary cards to the opposition.
Ahly also referenced a previous match against Burundi’s Eagle Noir in the second leg of the Round of 32 in Cairo, where Sy sent off striker Nejc Gradisar despite no foul being committed, along with other decisions that nearly affected the outcome.
Ahly lost the first leg 1-0 to Espérance de Tunis at the Stade Olympique de Radès.
The hosts were awarded a penalty in the 72nd minute after Sy reviewed a possible handball by defender Mohamed Hany using VAR.
Tougai converted the spot kick to give Espérance the advantage ahead of Saturday’s return leg in Cairo.
“The referee awarded an unjustified penalty to the opposition, as the ball struck an Ahly player’s shoulder rather than his hand,” the club said on their official website, adding that VAR intervention came “significantly late."
Ahly also said they were denied a clear penalty after forward Achraf Bencharki was pulled down inside the area by an Espérance defender, an incident they said was overlooked by VAR officials.
The club called on CAF to take appropriate legal measures and urged the governing body to appoint elite referees for knockout matches to safeguard the integrity of African competitions.
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