File Photo: Ahly goalkeeper and captain Mohamed El-Shennawy. Photo courtesy of Al-Ahly.
The Ahly Captain was involved in an altercation with the referee after the match, in which the Reds were held to a frustrating 1-1 draw that left them third in the standings, five points behind leaders Zamalek with five matches remaining.
The defending champions appealed for a penalty in stoppage time when the ball struck Ceramica defender Ahmed Hany’s arm following a cross from Yassin Marei.
However, after a lengthy VAR review, referee Mahmoud Wafaa declined to award the spot-kick, sparking fury among the Ahly players and staff.
The disciplinary measure follows El-Shenawy’s post-match protest against Wafaa, during which the goalkeeper was shown a red card for an alleged confrontation with the match officials.
In addition to the suspension, El-Shenawy were hit with a EGP 2,500 fine for the red card and a further EGP 50,000 for "pushing the referee without violence."
As a result, the keeper, who was on the bench against Ceramica, will miss most of the final phase matches, with his suspension set to end only for the last game of the seven-match title-deciding phase.
Ahly also received a EGP 20,000 fine after their administrative and technical staff failed to maintain the required distance from the VAR area during the critical stoppage-time review.
Furthermore, the club’s football director Walid Salah El-Din has been handed a one-match ban and a EGP 5,000 fine after accumulating three yellow cards.
Ahly lodged an official complaint with the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) against Wafaa on Wednesday, citing "blatant" errors that they argue materially affected the outcome of the match, and are reportedly set to appeal the new sanctions.
The Cairo giants are set to face Smouha on Saturday.
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