JOHANNESBURG: Egyptian club Al-Ahly have complained to the African Football Confederation about an illegal goal that robbed them of a Champions League final place at the weekend.
Esperance of Tunisia won the semi-final return match 1-0 in Rades on the outskirts of Tunis thanks to a second-minute goal scored by Nigerian Michael Eneramo using his right arm.
Tunisian TV replays showed the leading 2010 African Champions League scorer extending his arm to steer the ball into the net after a corner aimed at the near post had been headed across the goalmouth.
"Referee Joseph Lamptey of Ghana was clearly biased and his deadly mistakes illegitimately gave Esperance a berth in the Champions League final," an Ahly website statement said.
The Egyptians, who led 2-1 from the first leg in Cairo, were eliminated from the major African club competition on the away-goal rule after a 2-2 aggregate deadlock.
Victory was particularly sweet for the ‘Blood and Gold’ as the same rule caused their downfall when they clashed with the ‘Red Devils’ at the same stage nine years ago.
Maher Kanzari, a 2001 Esperance squad member who now assists coach Faouzi Benzarti, labeled the Eneramo goal "greatly dubious" but said justice had been done as the first Ahly goal in Cairo should have been disallowed.
Video replays showed the ball striking the arm of Mohamed Fadl before entering the net but Ahly argued it was a ball-to-hand rather than hand-to-ball situation.
"The goal is greatly dubious but it is fair. If we cancel the Eneramo goal and the Fadl goal Esperance would still reach the final," Kanzari told Tunisian reporters.
Egyptian coach Hossam Al-Badri claimed on Egyptian radio that Lamptey cost record six-time champions Ahly the chance of a $1.5-million first prize and an invite to the end-of-year FIFA Club World Cup in Abu Dhabi.
"The match was over before the kickoff. I feel sorry because we play football in Africa where referees do whatever they want," complained the ex-Ahly star.
"Of course I am not satisfied with the refereeing and with all due respect Esperance did not deserve to qualify for the final. We did not put up a good performance but neither did our opponents."
The two-leg final will pit the Tunisians against defending champions Tout Puissant Mazembe of Democratic Republic of Congo, who overcame JS Kabylie of Algeria 3-1 on aggregate after a goalless second leg in North Africa.
