Wednesday 18/March/2026 – 01:54 AM
A sharp verbal altercation broke out between Wael JumaaFormer Egyptian national team member, And former Moroccan national team player Youssef Shibu, against the backdrop of arbitration crises in the African continent, and the dispute began when talking about the integrity of the African championships and the influence of referees on the results of the major final matches.
These statements came in the wake of the recent decisions of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to withdraw the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations title from Senegal and give it to Morocco. Wael Gomaa considered that arbitration is the weakest link in the African football system, stressing that referees always resort to the principle of balance to compliment the home team.
Youssef Shibo accuses the Egyptian national team of taking advantage of the referees
Youssef Shibo responded to Gomaa’s speech with a direct accusation against the Egyptian team, saying: “You benefited from the referees in three consecutive editions (2006, 2008, 2010).” Shibo added that the Moroccan team did not benefit from arbitration, but was harmed in the final of the last edition, which witnessed controversial events before the appeals committee intervened.
A definitive response from Wael Jumaa: “It is shameful and this word does not count.”
Wael Gomaa expressed his extreme anger at Shibu’s insinuations, describing them as unacceptable. Gomaa said: “It is shameful to say that we won the title 3 times with the help of the referees. This word should not go unnoticed.” Al-Sakhra stressed that the achievements of the golden generation of the Pharaohs were the result of sweeping technical excellence on the field, as everyone testified.
