CAIRO: Mansoura may withdraw from the Egyptian Premier League after a refereeing mistake led to their defeat against Police Union on Wednesday, president Ibrahim Megahed said.
Sixth-placed Police claimed a 1-0 win over the promoted side, thanks to a goal from striker Salah Ashour nine minutes past the hour mark.
Mansoura believe the goal should not have been allowed because the assistant referee raised his flag in the build-up for an apparent foul by Nigerian striker Minusu Buba on one of their players.
The referee did not blow his whistle though, allowing Buba to send a low cross to Ashour for an easy tap in after Mansoura players stood still.
We will withdraw from the competition if the match is not replayed, a furious Megahed said after the game.
We had to pay for a mistake from the referee, and this is not acceptable.
We will file a complaint to the Egyptian FA and if they do not react, we will take the matter to (world governing body) FIFA.
The defeat leaves Mansoura in penultimate place in the table with 14 points, seven adrift of the safety zone.
The referees committee chief Mohamed Hossam insisted that the referee took the right decision.
The match is only stopped when the referee blows his whistle, which was not the case. The goal is legitimate, he said.
The referee has the right to disregard the assistant s decision, there is no problem with that.
Many pundits criticize officials and coaches of Egyptian teams for consistently protesting against refereeing decisions.
Referees are always blamed for any defeat because they never find support from media, pundits say.
