Egypt: Football Player Stricken Off Roster for Placing Israeli Flag on Referee's Photo - Sarmad
Decision to strike off Mostafa Mohamed Ali Abdullah from Tamia Youth Center for posting a TikTok video placing the Israeli flag on a referee's photo in protest of his decisions
Translated by Qiyas from سرمد — Original source
The youth center in Tamiya, located in Egypt’s Fayoum Governorate, has decided to expel player Mostafa Mohamed Ali Abdullah from its records and suspend his financial entitlements, following the publication of a video on the “TikTok” platform in which he placed the Israeli flag on an image of a match referee, as a protest against the referee’s decisions.
The incident originated during a match between the Tamiya Youth Center and the Al-Sahat Al-Shaabiya team. The referee’s performance angered the player, and his protest escalated into posting the video, which sparked widespread debate on social media and prompted the center’s management to take disciplinary action against him, according to Egyptian media.
According to the decision issued by the Tamiya Youth Center, the penalties included the player’s permanent expulsion from the center’s records and notifying the Egyptian Football Association and the Fayoum zone to take the necessary measures regarding his expulsion from their records.
The management also decided to halt all financial payments due to the player and presented the case during an emergency board meeting to discuss the legal consequences.
The center’s management justified its decision by stating that the player’s actions contradicted sports values and disciplinary rules, and were inconsistent with the principles of respecting referees and sports institutions.
In his account of the incident after the expulsion decision was issued, the player said he felt the referee had treated his team unfairly in several decisions, which angered him. He added that the matter particularly upset him in his capacity as captain of the youth team.
He explained that he returned home angry over the match result, which he believed his team deserved to win after it ended in a draw. He then posted the video on TikTok, before deleting it about half an hour later. However, by then it had already spread widely and was being shared by users across social media platforms.
The player argued that his behavior did not warrant expulsion, expressing his fear that the decision could ruin his football career.
