Kaizer Chiefs' opponents Zamalek send complaint to CAF after Confederation Cup draw in Polokwane

Kaizer Chiefs needed a stoppage-time own goal by Zamalek goalkeeper Mohamed Sobhi to rescue a point in a 1-1 CAF Confederation Cup draw at Peter Mokaba Stadium on Saturday. 

The White Knights had drawn first blood when Tunisian striker Seifeddine Jaziri struck just three minutes into the contest. 

Moments later, Zamalek thought they had doubled their advantage, only for Jaziri’s second effort to be ruled out for offside by the referee. 

The Egyptians felt further robbed when they were denied what they believed was a clear penalty in another contentious incident. 

That frustration has seen the Cairo giants accuse the Rwandan match official of poor officiating. 

As a result, the former African champions have written to CAF, lodging a formal complaint about the handling of the match.

"The board of directors of Zamalek Club decided to file an official complaint with the Confederation of African Football [CAF] against the Rwandan refereeing team led by Samuel Uykunda, following the refereeing errors witnessed in the first football team’s match against South Africa’s Kaizer Chiefs in the second round of the group stage matches of the African Confederation Cup," the club wrote.

"Zamalek Club asserts in its complaint that the refereeing errors in this match affected the final result of the encounter, and that the team deserved a penalty kick for the Angolan player Chico Banza.

"In addition to the cancellation of a valid goal for the Tunisian Saifeddine Jaziri without a reason that is clear to everyone who watched the match.

"In addition to the referee’s excessive use of yellow cards against Zamalek players throughout the match. 

"Zamalek, in its complaint to the African Union, demands the need to intervene and select appropriate referees to reduce the phenomenon of refereeing errors that affect the results of many matches in the tournament," added Zamalek.  

"The club also urgently demands that CAF ensure the presence of Video Assistant Referee [VAR] technology in upcoming matches, starting from the third round of the group stage, because the absence of VAR technology in matches affects the integrity of the competition.

"It is time to take decisions that will reform the refereeing system at the level of African tournaments, including the Confederation Cup."

While it appears Chiefs needed a stroke of luck to survive a possible home defeat, co-coach Cedric Kaze sees it the other way.

The Burundian feels they summoned everything they had in the match to give them a chance of winning.

Kaze hails Chiefs for their "mentality and display and is confident they will reach the next stage of the competition despite being winless in their first two games.

“Ok, the game didn’t go in our favour from the first minute," said Kaze after the match. 

"We conceded after three minutes, we have to make our two substitutions after 15 minutes we had already two substitutions, but we kept believing that we could come back.

“We kept our belief alive; we did everything to try to get back into the game. Unfortunately, we scored at the very end but I’m so proud of the boys, we did everything we could and with this kind of mentality and display – I’m pretty sure we’ll qualify."

Chiefs are now preparing to visit basement side Chippa United in a Premier Soccer League match on Wednesday and that will be their last match of 2025. 

They head into the fixture determined to recover from the two Confederation Cup matches they failed to win against Al Masry and Zamalek. 

The pressure is on Amakhosi to translate their continental lessons into a strong domestic response and end the year on a high as they try to stay close to the leading pack in the PSL title race. 

However, they are likely to miss the services of Gaston Sirino and Bradley Cross, who were substituted in the first half against Zamalek due to injuries. 

That absence could force the coaches to make tactical adjustments as they chase crucial three points.