The Egyptian Football Association (EFA) has suspended Al-Ahly goalkeeper Mohamed El-Shenawy for four matches. The disciplinary action follows an incident where the player struck a referee on the head after a league match against Smouha. In addition to the ban, officials fined El-Shenawy 20,000 Egyptian pounds, according to Reuters.
Television footage showed the Egypt international confronting the match official immediately after the final whistle. The EFA disciplinary committee reviewed the evidence before confirming the sanctions on Friday. The suspension applies to Egyptian Pro League fixtures, which means the goalkeeper will miss several key domestic matches.
El-Shenawy remains the captain of the Cairo club and the first-choice goalkeeper for the Egypt national team. Al-Ahly officials have not yet confirmed if they intend to appeal the decision. The club currently leads the league table and must now rely on their reserve goalkeepers for the upcoming period, per reports from the Associated Press. This ruling comes as the EFA maintains a strict stance on player conduct toward officials.
