Ahli assistant coach opened fire on Moroccan referee Mohamed Gazzaz who was in charge of his team's African Champions League match against JS Kabylie of Algeria. Al-Badri held Gazzaz responsible for the 2-2 draw that cost the African champions their Group A summit, accusing the Moroccan of having an "anti-Ahli agenda". Controversial calls from Gazzaz saw Ahli trail Kabylie 2-1 in the second-half after having taken the lead through Mohamed Abou-Treika early in the game. Ahli managed to tie the game late in stoppage time but their efforts were in vain as Sfaxien managed to beat Asante Kotoko 2-1 in Tunisia. Al-Badri hinted that fowl play might be behind the Moroccan's dismal refereeing after the break.
Al-Badri "The media personnel accompanying Ahli saw what happened during the interval," Al-Badri told FilGoal.com without going into specifics. Al-Badri said that Ahli officials will discuss filing a complaint to CAF regarding the referee's behavior. The Ahli assistant coach said that facing Group B winners ASEC Mimosas is not considered a "bad thing", claiming that all the semi-finalists are of the same caliber. Ahli have designated September 30th for the first-leg against ASEC in Cairo. On the other hand, Al-Badri said that star midfielder Mohamed Barakat, who was nursing a long term injury, will be ready for the African semi-final.
