A strange incident took place today in the match between Tanta and Telecom Egypt, which was part of the Professional League in the 2025-2026 season. Referee Abdelaziz El-Sayed surprised everyone by using a mobile phone to apply the "VAR" technology through his assistants to review a foul committed by Telecom Egypt against Tanta, initially awarded as a penalty.

Cancellation of the Penalty

The incident began when referee Abdelaziz El-Sayed awarded a penalty to Telecom Egypt against Tanta, which was met with protests from Tanta, who threatened to withdraw. It was then decided to review the incident via a live broadcast of the match and replay the footage. After reviewing the situation with the fourth official, El-Sayed was informed of the correct decision and reversed his call, awarding a free kick outside the penalty area to Tanta instead of the penalty. This change of decision led to frustration among Telecom Egypt's players, who almost withdrew from the game, but it resumed after that.

What was surprising about this incident was that the "VAR" technology is not implemented in the Professional League, so it was used unofficially through a mobile phone to review the decision.

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Suspension of the Referees in the Tanta vs. Telecom Egypt Match

Following this controversial incident, the Referees Committee of the Egyptian Football Association decided to suspend the officiating team of the match, including Abdelaziz El-Sayed (main referee), Walid Mamdouh (assistant referee 1), Shehab Rashed (assistant referee 2), and Hossam Hassan (fourth referee). According to the official statement, this suspension will continue until further notice, and the case has been referred to the relevant body for investigation to make the final decision in accordance with the applicable regulations.

This decision reflects the Egyptian Football Association's commitment to ensuring transparency and fairness in the competition, as well as the importance of improving refereeing performance in the Egyptian league.