Zamalek-Maqassa referee satisfied after FA suspension

After the Egyptian Football Association suspended him until the end of the season, Zamalek and Maqassa referee Yasser Mahmoud expresses his relief at not being investigated

The Egyptian Football Association (EFA) have announced that they have suspended two referees until the end of the season for their bad calls during the Zamalek and Maqassa day 23 league match last week.
“After investigating the referee, the urgent committee decided not to appoint referee Yasser Mahmoud and assistant coach Hassan Abdullah to any matches this current season,” the EFA stated on Monday.
“This decision is satisfying for me; I have confessed that I didn't see the penalty or the offside,” referee Yasser Mahmoud told Ahram Online, adding, “What really made me angry is that they said that they would investigate me and this is against the rules.”
Early this week the international referee, Mahmoud, announced that he referees as a hobby and that he would quit to save his reputation, as he cannot work in what he termed a “terroristic atmosphere.”
“Egyptian referees are heroes because not everybody can work under this kind of pressure,” Mahmoud insisted.
The Zamalek 1-0 defeat shook the EFA, and they launched an official complaint against Mahmoud claiming that he was persecuting the team. They point to a penalty for an apparent handball by Maqassa striker Hussein Hamdy and also the incorrect disallowal of Abdel-Safi's goal for a false offside.
The eleven-time league champions coaching staff, Hossam Hassan, further accused the ref of holding a “personal grudge” against him for an old pitch clash that ended up at the police station.
“Zamalek won in 90 per cent of matches I monitored and if I had bad intentions, it wouldn't come suddenly,” Mahmoud commented.
“I respect Hossam Hassan as a figure in Egyptian football but my decisions as a refereee have nothing to do about my personal emotions.”
White Castle is still on top of the championship table, although arch-rivals Ahly levelled points with them after their 3-0 victory against Haras El-Hodoud in the same round.
After withdrawing their threats to pull out from the domestic competition, Zamalek are still insisting on replaying the Maqassa match. EFA counters, however, that replaying would be illegal considering the referee himself didn't say that his mistakes were intentional in the match report.