Ahly have asked the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) on Wednesday to appoint foreign referees for the team's remaining games in the Egyptian Cup and the Egyptian Super Cup match, stressing that the Cairo giants will bear the cost of hiring them.

The Cairo giants' bid to win the Egyptian Premier league for a sixth successive season was dealt a major blow after they were held to a 0-0 draw by Talae El-Geish on Tuesday, diminishing their chances of claiming the league title in their remaining three matches.

“Ahly is always cooperative with the football association, even if the team’s campaign is negatively affected by the repeated, rude refereeing mistakes,” the club said in a statement published on its official website.

Ahly have expressed their displeasure over the performance of Egyptian referees in the domestic league on several occasions this season, the most recent one being in Tuesday’s game against El-Geish.

Ahly’s technical staff said that the referee of the El-Geish match denied a certain goal for the team; refusing their calls to check the video assistant referee system (VAR).

“We didn’t find a logical reason for the repetition of these refereeing errors, especially in Ahly games, since the team has lost about 15 points in the league race due to this issue,” the Ahly statement explained.

“The club repeatedly talked to the football association; warning against repeating such mistakes that threaten the [fairness] of the games; we were promised that the refereeing system would improve, but sadly the mistakes still persist.”

“Amid this inequality within Ahly’s games, we are waiting for the EFA’s reply regarding appointing foreign referees for our upcoming matches in the Egyptian Cup and the Super Cup, along with finding firm solutions for the refereeing system ahead of the new season,” the statement concluded.

On Tuesday, Ahly archrivals Zamalek defeated Wadi Degla 1-0, inching ever closer to their first league crown in six years and giving themselves a four-point buffer between them and second placed challengers Ahly, who have stumbled in their last two games.

Zamalek have 73 points on the league’s table, with Ahly following closely behind with 69 points. The Red Devils, however, can still win the title if they level their points with Zamalek given their superior head-to-head record.

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