BLOEMFONTEIN, South Africa, (Reuters) – Egypt lodged a protest with Confederations Cup organisers after their 4-3 defeat by Brazil yesterday, claiming Brazil’s late penalty winner was awarded illegally on the basis of video evidence.
Egypt assistant coach Gharib Chawki told a news conference his team were not contesting English referee Howard Webb’s decision to award Brazil a penalty when Egyptian substitute Ahmed Al Muhamadi stopped a shot on his goal line with his arm.
Al Muhamadi collapsed on the ground as if struck in the face and injured.
But Chawki said Webb and his linesman had both signalled a corner and only changed the decision after being told by the fourth official of the handball.
“As far as I am aware there is no rule allowing video evidence,” Chawki said. “We’re not contesting the referee’s decision but the way it was made. Or maybe the rules have changed and nobody has told us.
“Since when do the regulations say there is a penalty which is not blown by the referee? It took three minutes to change the decision while the player was being treated.
“The decision was changed after a statement by the fourth official, after watching the monitor, that it should be a penalty. “We just want to know. We don’t object to the decision itself.”
Brazilian coach Dunga dismissed the matter as “Egypt’s problem, not ours,”.
He said the referee had made the decision after examining Al Muhamadi and seeing there was no mark on his face to suggest the ball had struck him there.
“He made the right decision,” Dunga added. Al Muhamadi was sent off by Webb before Kaka converted the penalty to win the match.
Samir Zaher, the president of the Egyptian Football Association, confirmed that he would lodge an appeal with the competition’s organisers.
“We will not protest against the penalty being awarded because that was the right decision, but the referee did not give the decision immediately — he gave a corner. Then he waited two or three minutes and showed the red card and awarded the penalty.
“Why did he change his mind? Because the fourth official told him what had happened, that is why and he had missed it.
The incident revived discussion on the controversial sending-off of French midfielder Zinedine Zidane in the 2006 World Cup final for head-butting Italian defender Marco Materazzi when the ball was at the other end of the field.
FIFA has always denied that video evidence, which is strictly banned during matches by the world governing body, played any part in the decision though suspicions have remained in the football community.
