Final whistle
Big-game and big-name referee Gamal El-Ghandour calls it a day. He spoke to Inas Mazhar about his past and future
After a 23-year-long career, Egypt's most successful football referee Gamal El- Ghandour has announced his retirement, leaving a void difficult to fill. At the end of December El-Ghandour turned 45, the mandatory age for retirement at least at the international level, as stipulated by FIFA. El-Ghandour can still officiate local games but preferred not to continue refereeing unless he could do both.
How does it feel to retire? "Of course, it's hard," El-Ghandour told the Weekly. "It' s not easy but I think I did everything. I reached the highest levels. My whistle has been blowing in stadiums throughout the world. This is the time to say good- bye. And even if it is hard, I have to do it."
There were two reasons why El- Ghandour turned to refereeing, a job most youths do not consider when asked what they want to be. The first was when the football shoe was on the other foot. He began as a player in a second division club. "When I was playing, my team and myself found that some refereeing decisions were unfair. We suffered as a consequence which sometimes angered us. That was when I decided to become a referee and ever since I have tried to be as fair as possible."
El-Ghandour also found he possessed the qualities needed to be a good referee: self-confidence and firmness on the field as well as the ability to control both players and spectators.
El-Ghandour recently returned from Qatar where he spent the season refereeing crucial league games. "They asked me to sign a five-year contract and are waiting for my answer but I haven't made up my mind."
El-Ghandour's list of achievements are breathtaking. He is the only African referee to have officiated in the quarter-finals of two World Cups -- France in 1998 and Korea and Japan in 2002. He is the only Egyptian referee to officiate in a World Cup and an Olympics, in Atlanta in 1996. And only he among his peers has refereed on the five continents.
His toughest game? "In Nigeria in a 1994 African Champions League second-leg match between a Nigerian club and Tunisia's Esperance. The first leg had ended 3-0 in favour of the Tunisian side. The pre-game atmosphere was tense, especially after a plane crash had killed several Nigerian spectators. The Nigerians accused the Tunisian side of being behind the crash. It was the most difficult match of my career because Nigeria was eliminated, drawing 1-1."
El-Ghandour's international work did not end on a happy note. He was accused of siding with co-hosts South Korea when it surprisingly beat Spain in the quarter- finals of the 2002 World Cup. The Spanish media in particular came down hard on him. "I explained my position to them at a special press conference. They were persuaded I was right," he said.
"No referee admits making mistakes," El-Ghandour told the Weekly. "I took a lot of decisions which I regret but this is refereeing. Referees are human and there cannot be a match without mistakes. Normally when I return home, I watch a video of the game to see what I did wrong and to try to avoid the same mistakes in future."
El-Ghandour was resentful of the fact that for years now foreign referees have been called up for the Ahli-Zamalek derby. "It's an insult to Egyptian referees. Why are they sidelined" Why all the fuss? The game is a normal league match. There are other matches more important and tougher."
In 1997, El-Ghandour officiated what experts regarded as a flawless Ahli- Zamalek match in the first leg. "The players were obedient and helped me see the game through."
El-Ghandour was showered with praise by officials and media. After the game the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) decided that only Egyptian referees would officiate the derby from then on. "I was called up for the second round match. I suggested that another referee should be given the opportunity. The following season I don't know what happened. The EFA went back to calling up foreign referees."
EL-Ghandour believes that African football is doing well, especially in the World Cups and Olympic Games. "Cameroon did a good job in the 1990 World Cup when it reached the quarter-finals and it is also the 2000 Olympic Games gold medallists. Nigeria won gold in Atlanta and it, too, has given strong performances in the World Cup. I believe that one day an African team will reach the semi-final or the final of a World Cup. Maybe in 2010 when Africa hosts the event."
He said he hoped Egypt would win the bid to host that edition. "I think that Egypt has the best facilities to organise such an event."
El-Ghandour is already busy planning for his future. He has started a TV programme about refereeing and analysis on one of the Arab satellite channels. "It's not only for referees but for spectators. They need someone to explain to them why a referee had to make a certain call. Perhaps when they understand they will stop criticising referees."
He is also working on establishing a refereeing school for boys, adding he needs the support of the EFA and the Ministry of Youth.
El-Ghandour's dream is to help maintain the solid reputation of African referees in the world. "I want to guide African referees in coordination and collaboration with the African federation. We want to introduce more competent African referees to secure our position in future World Cups."
