On Saturday evening, Union de la Casbah was held to a frustrating goalless draw by the visiting team from Safi, Morocco, a result that seemed orchestrated by the match referee. The encounter took place at the iconic "5 July 1962" stadium, as part of the first leg of the CAF Cup semifinals. The match was officiated by a referee team from Egypt, led by Amine Mohamed Omar, along with his colleagues who oversaw the video assistant referee (VAR) system.
The referee controversially disallowed a goal by Union de la Casbah's midfielder Zakaria Draoui in the 51st minute after consulting VAR, much to the dismay of the red and black players who believed the goal was legitimate. Additionally, they protested against the referee for denying them a penalty in the 17th minute, when their forward Ahmed Khaldi was fouled inside the opponent's penalty area.
In a further twist, the referee rejected yet another goal for Union de la Casbah, this time scored by defender Hussein Dahiri in the 77th minute, again after VAR consultation. This series of decisions fueled suspicions and controversy regarding the referee's apparent bias in favor of the visiting team.
However, the referee seemed to regain his composure late in the match, issuing a red card to Safi's goalkeeper Hamza Hamiani in the 80th minute for a reckless challenge on player Dahiri. The match also saw the presence of national team coach Vladimir Petkovic in the VIP stand.
The return leg is scheduled to take place in Safi on April 19, under the supervision of Rwandan referee Samuel Oikunda.
As reported by echoroukonline.com.
