You could say that Gamal Al Ghandour is persona non grata in Spain. And all because of the terrible scandal that the former Egyptian collegiate starred in the World Cup in Korea and Japan in 2002. The team that at that time trained Jose Antonio Camacho was eliminated in the quarterfinals of that world Cup against one of the hosts.
There was talk of possible rigging for a long time, but it could never be logically demonstrated. The result was that Korea advanced to the round and entered the top four teams in the world in a championship that ended up taking the Brazil of an alien ronaldo.
Gamal Al Ghandour went down in history for that controversial performance that has made him known worldwide. At the time he came to admit that that had been “one of his best arbitrations” of him. A statement that served to add fuel to the fire of a national fan base that ended that championship very hot and with an open wound that has never healed.
[Estrada Fernández, bajo sospecha: creen que existe una mano negra detrás de su denuncia a Negreira]
However, that scandal has not only brought insults and threats to Al Ghandour, it has also brought him job opportunities and he has now become an arbitration expert for many countries in the Middle East, especially for Saudi ArabiaYo. Therefore, he has been in charge of analyzing the arrival of one of the referees of The league and of the RFEF up to the saudi league.
This is the case of Mateu Lahoz, one of the most mediatic referees in Spain and who will be in charge of directing the ‘Super Clásico’ of Saudi Arabia that will dispute the Al Ittihad and the Al-Nassr. The match will take place this Thursday and it is a curious situation, since it is not very common for a referee from Spain to go to other countries to direct matches in other championships. However, it is a situation that has already happened twice before in the case of Mateu.
Mateu Lahoz, in the Qatar World Cup match between the hosts and Senegal.
REUTERS
For the Saudi Arabian league it is a galactic signing. However, she has not been well received on the Al Ittihad side, as she plays for the opposing team. Cristiano Ronaldo, a referee who knows Mateu perfectly. Televisions throughout the country have shown interest in this event, which has received significant criticism. And one of the voices that has generated the most noise in his analysis has been that of Gamal Al Ghandour.
The relationship Mateu – Cristiano
The former collegiate has participated in the television program Al-Montasaf to defend the figure of Mateu, but also to give him some ‘stick’ before redirecting a game for Cristiano Ronaldo: “He is a referee who has a great record.”
[Los árbitros se defienden del ‘caso Negreira’: “No hay pruebas que digan que hemos sido deshonestos”]
Al Ghandour has been asked if knowing Cristiano and having had a relationship with him can influence the international-class Spanish referee: “Ronaldo? Mateu has experience dealing with stars, so he won’t be affected by the pressure. It’s also about from a referee who is positioned well and it is difficult for the footballers to be able to deceive him”.
But when everything seemed flattery, the first blow came from the Egyptian referee, already retired and dedicated to the work of an analyst: “The reality is that sometimes he starts drawing cards irrationally.” An opinion that was seconded by some colleagues such as the Egyptian samir othman, who said the following in another sports gathering: “The decision to appoint Mateu Lahoz was controversial. He is a referee who suffers from hyperactivity.” Thus, Mateu’s Arab adventure generates criticism and praise.
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