Ibrahim Salah sent off for the second straight match with Zamalek

Ibrahim Salah, Zamalek’s assistant coach, was sent off on Sunday evening in the top-flight league clash with Al Ahly, part of the sixth round. The dismissal takes him beyond the number of direct red cards he received during his playing career.

In the second half, Slovenian referee Rade Razović sent Salah off after he protested against refereeing decisions. Those protests included Zamalek’s appeal for a penalty for its Angolan player, Chico Banza.

It was the second consecutive match in which Salah received a straight red card. In the previous game, against Zed FC in the Egypt Capital Cup, Zamalek had to play without him and relied on a group of young players. Head coach Moatamed Gamal was also absent.

The contrast with Salah’s playing career is striking: over a career spanning nearly 16 years, he had received just one direct red card. That came while he was with Al Mokawloon Al Arab in the 2017-2018 season. His two straight dismissals as an assistant coach have now taken him past that total.