Romanian Referee to Take Charge of Cairo Derby

The Egyptian Football Association (EFA) announced on Friday that Romanian referee Stefan Kovas will officiate the Cairo Derby between Al-Ahly and Zamalek.

The EFA also appointed Ovidiu Alin Hategan and Abdel-Fattah Erisha as assistant referees, while Marius Avram will be the fourth official in the game that will be played on Saturday at Alexandria’s Borg El-Arab Stadium.

Stefan Kovas officiated the recent game between France and Iceland in the 2019 Euro qualifiers.

He also officiated 24 games so far this season in the Romanian domestic competitions, the UEFA Champions League and the Europa League.

The appointment of foreign referees is no surprise, with the Cairo derby renowned for being a fiery encounter, and the EFA are eager to ensure their own officials remain above reproach.

Only 30 fans will be allowed to watch the match from the stands in the game which Al Ahly has an upper hand as they won three games out of their previous five against the White Knights.

Zamalek are currently top of the Egyptian Premier League table with 53points from 22 matches, while Al Ahy are second with 51points with 11 matches left for each in the season.

The encounter is the 162nd meeting in the league between the two teams, with 66 wins for Al Ahly, 28 for Zamalek and the other 58 games drawn. This statistic goes back to the start of the Egypt league after World War II but the rivalry extends back almost a century now to when the clubs were first formed.