Mohamed El Shenawy, the 37-year-old goalkeeper for Egyptian Premier League club Al Ahly, has received a substantial penalty after striking a referee in the head during a match against Ceramica on April 4th. The game concluded with a 1-1 draw.
The incident occurred amidst a heated dispute over a controversial penalty decision near the end of the match. El Shenawy struck the referee on the back of the head with his hand.
As a result of his actions, El Shenawy has been suspended for four matches in the Egyptian Premier League. He has also been fined 50,000 Egyptian pounds (approximately €700-€800) by the Egyptian Professional Clubs Association. An additional 2,500 Egyptian pounds was levied for receiving two yellow cards.
El Shenawy, who captains Al Ahly since joining in 2016, has also been a key player for the Egyptian national team since 2018. He was the starting goalkeeper for the Africa Cup of Nations earlier this year and is expected to be included in the squad for the upcoming World Cup.
Al Ahly currently sits third in the Egyptian Premier League, with Ceramica in fourth place. The club was recently eliminated from the CAF Champions League.