Egyptian referee Mohamed Al-Sayed, under fire recently, retired on Friday citing internal problems, while Referees Committee boss Gamal Al-Ghandour welcomed the decision and said it is in favor of the Egyptian football. "I announce quitting refereeing in Egypt," Al-Sayed said in an unprecedented phone call with a poplar TV sports show. Al-Sayed made several controversial calls during the Ahli's 2-0 victory over Ismaili on Wednesday when he booked Ismaili's Mohamed Gouda for diving but the Television replay proved it was a penalty-kick. He also awarded the home side a debatable spot-kick and avoided handing Ahli defender Wael Gomaa a red card for improper conduct. Al-Sayed admitted in an exclusive interview with Egyptian leading newspaper Al-Ahram that he took wrong decisions and apologized to Ismaili players and fans. Al-Sayed said that the Referees Committee adopts a double-standard policy towards referees.
Al-Ghandour "Referees are now classified into old guards and new ones," an irritated Al-Sayed said. "Al-Ghandour always backs the young referees but never supports the veterans regardless how much small their mistakes are." But Al-Ghandour rejected these accusations and said that Al-Sayed's decision is much welcomed. "I thank him for his decision which comes in favor of the Egyptian football. We will lose nothing by Al-Sayed's retirement," Al-Ghandour said. The former international referee revealed that Al-Sayed has a debatable history that witnessed several strange incidents resulted in suspending him for different periods. Al-Ghandour hinted that Al-Sayed's mistakes sometimes seem to be intentional and said he was never appointed to officiate any African ties despite being promoted to international level for years.
