Egyptian referees do not want to take charge of Masri's home games after having their integrity questioned by the club's chairman, the chief of the referees committee said on Wednesday. Masri chairman Kamel Abou Ali recently demanded that the Egyptian FA appoint foreign referees for his side's away games. His request came after he accused the officials of deliberately favoring Masri's opponents whenever the team play outside of their home venue in Port Said. "The referees are very angry with those comments," Mohamed Hossam, who retained his post as head of the referees committee this season despite reports saying that he sought to resign, said. "The referees said that if Abou Ali doesn't want them to officiate Masri's away games, they don't want to officiate their home games either. "If the referees are biased against Masri when the team play away from home, why does Abou Ali want them to take charge of the team's home games? Does he expect them to favor his team in Port Said?" Climax Complaints against referees reached a climax last season, with the majority of Egyptian clubs asking the EFA to bring in foreign officials to take charge of their matches. The EFA traditionally assign the Cairo derby between Ahli and Zamalek to foreign referees due to the heated rivalry between both sides. They could allow other teams to follow suit on condition that those clubs pick up the bill. "Abou Ali will be allowed to have foreign referees for all of Masri's games if he can pay for that," Hossam added. Masri, who were very active in the summer transfer window after being financially backed by movie producer Abou Ali, opened their league campaign with a 2-1 victory over Gaish. They slumped to a 2-1 defeat by Gouna in their second game, a loss that sparked Abou Ali's outcry over the Egyptian refereeing.
