"Fahlawa" is a purely Egyptian word which clearly illustrates how football is being run in the country. The word describes the way by which anyone can solve his problems without sticking to certain rules. In this way, a person believes he is good enough to come up with a genius resolution to an annoying matter without having to follow any guidelines. This is exactly what happens in Egyptian football these days, with the country's FA unable to make any convincing decisions over some issues which grabbed headlines for several weeks. Zamalek might be excused for reacting furiously to the EFA's decision to uphold Harras Hodoud's 2-1 victory over them after the winning team fielded an ineligible player. Forward Ahmed Eid should have missed the game due to suspension but he was wrongfully given the green light to play by the EFA's competitions committee. He scored the opener to set Hodoud on their way to a precious win. Two matches earlier, the Egyptian international picked up a straight red card for 'improper conduct'. Regulations state that any player who gets a straight red card for denying a certain goal, either by fouling an opponent or by handling the ball, is banned for just one game. Otherwise, he should serve a two-game ban.
The EFA is unable to make any convincing decisions over some issues which grabbed headlines for several weeks "Improper conduct" is not included in those two cases so Eid should have sat out two matches. However, he missed just one match and played against Zamalek. The EFA, as usual, do not follow any rules, they just monitor what the media say about the issue and carefully observe the reactions of the parties involved to reach a final decision based on their conclusions. This decision should serve the purpose of coming through the issue unscathed, regardless of any rules or regulations. Few weeks after the EFA turned down Zamalek's request to replay the game, another controversial issue arose. Zamalek coach Hossam Hassan and chairman Mamdouh Abbas admitted that Hodoud duo Hani Saied and Abdul-Salam Nagah penned a deal to join the Cairo club. It was a surprising announcement, given that the duo still have seven months remaining on their contract with Hodoud, who did not accept any offers from Zamalek. According to regulations, Zamalek could be docked points for tapping up players but once again the EFA turned a blind eye to the issue. Zamalek's popularity and huge fan base mean it is impossible to implement such sanctions - this is how the EFA run football in Egypt.
