In an interpellation directed at the Shura Council (the upper, consultative house of parliament), 20 MPs requested that the government put an end to repeated errors by football referees, which, they said, "tend to anger fans and cause acts of violence that could threaten national security."
MPs cited remarks by Egyptian Football Union President Samir Zaher, who in earlier statements admitted that Egyptian football clubs preferred foreign referees for national league matches due to their perceived impartiality.
Parliamentarians went on to urge the government to turn Egypt’s National Sports Council into an autonomous ministry mandated with regulating sports unions and setting stringent conditions for referees so as to avoid future mistakes.
Translated from the Arabic Edition.
