Zamalek's banned wing-back Hazem Emam said the Egyptian FA is blemished with the red color, in reference to his side's arch-rivals Al-Ahly. Emam was hit with an eight-match ban on Thursday following his tantrum in Zamalek's 1-1 Egyptian Premier League draw at home to Police Union on Wednesday. The 21-year-old, back in fold after some disciplinary problems, came on as a second-half substitute but was sent off by referee Tawfik Al-Sayed. He was initially booked for dissent but received his marching orders moments later for stealing the card from Al-Sayed's grasp and throwing it away. "It's a red country, everything is red," Emam, who burst into tears while on his way out of the pitch after being red-carded, told FilGoal.com late Thursday. "All the EFA's work is dedicated to helping Ahly win trophies at the expense of their competitors. "They are working according to a plan. They banned me for eight matches to prevent me from playing against Ahly (in next Friday's Cairo derby). "This ban will also prevent me from playing Ahly in a potential Egyptian Cup game." Ahly and Zamalek are expected to meet in the Egyptian Cup round of 16 after being drawn against lower division sides Nabaroh and Al-Fayoum respectively. Zamalek faced Police with the hope of closing the gap on league leaders Ahly, who were held to a 1-1 draw by Arab Contractors earlier in the day. However, they trailed to an early goal but eventually secured a share of spoils when winger Shikabala struck in the 17th minute of a lengthy stoppage time given after Zamalek fans threw bottles and stones onto the pitch to disrupt the match. "It would be a totally different story if I was playing for Ahly," Emam, a talented player who is often criticized for some childish acts, added. "In that case, the EFA would have given me an award rather than suspending me. "The EFA's policy is clear: if Ahly stumble then Zamalek should also stumble." Zamalek have repeatedly accused the EFA of favoring Ahly on several occasions this season.
