Redemption in Cairo: Ahly Fights Through Controversy to Reach the CAF Champions League Group Stage

Match Recap

Al Ahly formally submitted a grievance to CAF on Sunday regarding several decisions by Senegalese referee Issa Sesay that affected the return leg of the CAF Champions League Round of 32 between Al Ahly and Eagle Nwar in Cairo. The club highlighted multiple contentious calls, including a red card for a Ahly striker and an appeal over the absence of a red card for a Burundi opponent after a foul on defender Ahmed Ramadan Beckham. The Reds were forced to play more than 75 minutes with ten men.

The club’s filing, supported by video evidence, asked that the decision against the striker not be upheld and requested a thorough review to safeguard the integrity of African club competitions.

Al Ahly secured a 1-0 victory in the return, taking their aggregate to 2-0 and booking a place in the group stage for the 11th consecutive time. In the first half, a decisive moment came with the red card shown to the Ahly forward after an alleged off-ball incident, which unsettled the team and gave the visitors a numerical advantage.

In the second half, the technical staff managed to cope with the deficit through tactical changes, with Omar Kamal scoring the winner to seal the qualification.

Coach Jes Torup stressed that the objective was to reach the next round and praised the players, particularly Omar Kamal, for seizing the opportunity and maintaining defensive solidity despite the numerical disadvantage. He noted the squad’s depth and adaptability across matches.

What’s Next

Ahly will face Petrojet in the next Egyptian Premier League fixture (Round 12) and will train at Mokhtar El-Tetsh before a closed camp ahead of the match.

Health updates on Imam Ashour showed a significant improvement, with a new blood test indicating a drop in viral levels. If the trend continues, he will begin a gradual return to training, with a cautious plan to reintroduce him to match readiness in the coming days. As a result, Ashour will miss the Egyptian Super Cup in the UAE from November 6-9 while he rebuilds strength.

Punchline: If refereeing were a sniper job, that call would be the one that almost hit the target—until the scoreboard told a different story.

Punchline 2: Ten men, one mission: score more than the controversy—because in football, the best punchlines are written in the back of the net.