Just 24 hours before the first-leg of the CAF Champions League final against Mamelodi Sundowns in Pretoria, Egyptian club Pyramids FC faced a setback.
The Cairo-based side is in the South African capital to face Betway Premiership champions Masandawana at Loftus Stadium, with kickoff set for 3 PM on Saturday.
The disruption stems from an ongoing saga surrounding the abandoned 11 March Cairo derby between Al Ahly and Zamalek. Pyramids FC had submitted an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport [CAS], challenging a recent decision by the Egyptian Football Association [EFA] Appeals Committee concerning disciplinary actions from that contentious match.
The derby was abandoned after Al Ahly failed to show up, protesting the assignment of an Egyptian referee instead of a foreign official, as they had requested. Egyptian referee Mohamed Bassyouni and the Zamalek squad arrived at the Cairo International Stadium on time. The match was officially called off 15 minutes after the scheduled kickoff due to Al Ahly’s absence.
Subsequently, the Egyptian Premier League [EPL] Competitions Committee awarded Zamalek a 3-0 default win, docked Al Ahly an additional three points, and ordered the club to pay for financial losses incurred due to the match’s cancellation. Al Ahly rejected these sanctions, arguing that their request for a foreign referee was justified given the match’s significance, and even threatened to withdraw from the league unless the penalties were rescinded.
Al Ahly appealed to the Egyptian Olympic Committee [EOC], which ultimately upheld the EPL Competitions Committee’s decision. In late March, however, the EPL Board reduced Al Ahly’s point deduction to three, citing Article 63 of the league’s bylaws, which allows the Board to make decisions under conditions of force majeure and emergencies. Crucially, this article also shields such decisions from appeal.
AL AHLY REPLAY REQUEST REJECTED; ZAMALEK, PYRAMIDS APPEALS DISMISSED BY EFA
Both Zamalek and Pyramids FC had previously appealed the EPL Board’s decision to reduce sanctions against Al Ahly, arguing that the initial six-point deduction should have been maintained. Al Ahly, on the other hand, requested the derby be replayed and that all penalties against them be overturned.
After nearly six weeks of deliberation, the EFA Appeals Committee on May 15 rejected Al Ahly’s request for a replay, stating the club had no right to demand such an outcome. The committee also dismissed appeals from Pyramids FC, Zamalek, and Al Ahly, citing a lack of jurisdiction. It stated that the EPL Board’s decisions are protected under league bylaws, and the Appeals Committee has no authority to invalidate any article of those regulations.
The Appeals Committee added that any affected parties may appeal the decision to CAS, which it identified as the only body with the jurisdiction to invalidate any article in the Egyptian League’s bylaws. Following that decision, Pyramids FC and Zamalek turned to CAS to challenge the rulings.
IMPLICATIONS FOR PYRAMIDS FC TITLE HOPES
On Friday, the eve of Pyramids’ final against Sundowns, CAS sent notifications to the three involved clubs – Al Ahly, Zamalek, and Pyramids FC – stating that the court would take its “legal time,” which could extend up to eight months, to deliberate on the matter.
This development has significant ramifications for the Egyptian Premier League title race. With one game remaining in the season, Al Ahly currently sits atop the league with 55 points, two ahead of second-placed Pyramids FC. Al Ahly is scheduled to face Pharco FC on Wednesday, while Pyramids FC will take on Ceramica Cleopatra the same day.
Pyramids FC had harboured hopes that a six-point deduction for Al Ahly, stemming from the CAS appeal, would have seen the 12-time African champions lose the Egyptian Premier League title. Pyramids had, in fact, been leading the standings, but two losses in their last four games allowed Al Ahly to overtake them.
The lengthy CAS deliberation period means that if Al Ahly wins their match against Pharco next Wednesday, they will be crowned league champions. This effectively ends Pyramids FC’s immediate hopes of winning the league title through a points deduction for their rivals.
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