VAR proves its worth at Egyptian league debut

CAIRO_14 March 2020: VAR was introduced for the first time at the top flight in Egypt at the opening week of the second half of the season.

Egyptian league became the second in the continent to implement the new technology.




The new technology's debut was during the game between El Geish and Enppi as Mohamed El Sabahy became the first VAR referee in the league's history.

"I am so proud to be the first VAR referee in the Egyptian top flight. It was a huge responsibility as it was the debut of VAR at the league." El Sabahy said after the game.

El Sabahy did not have much work to do as the game ran smoothly without the need to consult VAR referee.

VAR proved its worth during the second game between Ismaily and El Gouna
which ended with a 1-1 draw.

The official referee of the match consulted the VAR referee in many cases and the new technology played a massive role in deciding the game result.

Ahmed Rayan, El Gouna’s striker, opened the score after 17 minutes but the goal was disallowed by the assistant referee and VAR confirmed the referee's decision.

VAR was of great use to the assistant referees during the game as it confirmed the decision to disallow Ismaily's goal as Ismaily striker was offside.

Also, the referee reviewed the VAR to decide a red card case which ended with a yellow card for Ismaily’s player.

The VAR was reviewed in four cases during the third game between El Gaish and Arab Contractors including three penalty decisions and a red card case.



The new technology disallowed a penalty for El Geish in the first half, but awarded a penalty for Arab Contractors in the first half and another one for El Geish in the second half.

Additionally, the referee reviewed the VAR to decide a red card decision for Arab Contractors player, Maarouf Youssef, but the VAR decided that it was a yellow card instead.

On a similar note, the VAR also saved Al Ahly's unbeaten run as it handed the Red Devils a penalty in the dying minutes of the game which was converted by Amr El Solia who secured a 1-1 draw against Smouha.