CAIRO--Al-Ahly have called for replaying their match against JS Kabylie after the incidents in Tizi Ouzou in Algeria, on August 15. Ahly, who lost 1-0, lodged an official complaint with the African Football Confederation (CAF) following the events that marred their Champions League visit to Algeria's JS Kabylie, the Cairo club said on Wednesday. The Red Devils were stoned in their bus by Algerian fans ahead of the match. Ahly also complained about the behaviour of Kabylie fans on the field, claiming they threw bottles and fireworks at the players and deliberately distracted goalkeeper Sherif Ekrami. The file included pictures of stewards getting involved in an ‘inexplicable scuffle' with Ahly players after Mohamed Shawqi's disallowed goal. Finally, Ahly have asked the African football governing body to take action against match referee Kokou Djaoupe. The Cairo giants believe the Togolese official's decisions were biased towards the home team, which saw him cut the time added on to only four minutes and sent off captain Hossam Ghali for no apparent reason. The match co-ordinator was also held responsible by the Reds for ignoring the team on several occasions, when his presence was much needed. Meanwhile, JS Kabylie chairman Mohanad Cherif Hannachi insists he did his best to ensure the safety of the Ahly squad, in the wake of Sunday's ill-tempered Champions League match. However, the Kabylie chief stresses that huge efforts were made to ensure the safety of the visitors. “I worked very hard to make sure that the visitors would be safe. I didn't sleep for four nights,” Hannachi told Elheddaf newspaper. “Everyone knows that we started working on securing Ahly's squad after our match with Heartland [two weeks earlier]. “I think did what was necessary, as you have seen. Security was massive inside the stadium.” Apart from the bus incidents, television cameras showed that some Ahly players involved in a scuffle with unfriendly stewards late in the game.
