Amid a series of refereeing controversies, Safi snatched a draw against USM Alger on their home turf | Goal.com
USM Alger and Olympique Safi played out a goalless draw in Saturday’s African Confederation Cup semi-final first leg at Algiers’ 5 July Stadium, a result marred by controversial officiating.
The contest was overseen by an Egyptian refereeing crew, with Amin Omar as the centre referee and Mahmoud Ashour monitoring VAR.
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The match saw several controversial decisions. In the 20th minute, Union Capital players appealed for a penalty, and although VAR official Mahmoud Ashour asked his compatriot Amin Omar to review the footage, the referee upheld his original call and play continued.
In the 54th minute, Zakaria Draoui headed in what looked like a home goal, only for Omar—after consulting VAR—to rule it out, judging that the ball had first struck the referee’s body.
In the 59th minute, Olympique Safi players claimed a penalty for handball, yet the Egyptian referee stood firm and waved away the appeals.
The hosts thought they had finally broken the deadlock in the 78th minute when defender Hussein Dehiri headed home, only for the assistant referee to flag for offside.
The most dramatic moment arrived in the 80th minute, when the referee, after consulting VAR, sent off Moroccan goalkeeper Hamza Hamiani for striking an Union player in the face.
There were no further significant incidents, and the referee eventually signalled a goalless draw, leaving the tie open for the second leg in Morocco.
The winner of this tie will meet either Egyptian side Zamalek or Algerian outfit CR Belouizdad in the final.
Zamalek secured a valuable 1-0 win in Friday’s first-leg trip to Algeria.
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