Gamal Al-Ghandour
Encyclopedia
Gamal Mahmoud Ahmed Al-Ghandour (born June 12, 1957) is a retired Egyptian referee.
final (Cameroon vs Senegal), the second leg of the 2002 African Cup Winners' Cup
final (Kotoko (Gha) 2:1 WAC (Mar)), and five successive African Cup of Nations, 1994, 1996, 1998, 2000, and 2002. He is the first African referee to run a match in the UEFA European Football Championship
. He has also participated in one Olympic Games
, one FIFA Confederation Cup (2001), and one AFC Asian Cup
.
He also refereed in two FIFA World Cup
s, France 1998 and Korea/Japan 2002
He is also the first Egyptian referee to play as a professional referee (Japanese League 1999)
stopped the ball in front of the line, which led to the Spanish being denied two goals. Eventually Spain was beaten on penalties. The last penalty that Spain missed was also seen as controversial, Joaquín
's shot was blocked by Lee Woon-Jae
who stepped off his line before the ball was actually touched, breaking the rules. However, many neutrals believe that Al-Ghandour should not be held solely accountable because the crucial decisions that went wrong should have been spotted by the lines' men.
There was, however, no action taken. After the match there was international condemnation of the refereeing conduct and decisions. Allegations were rife that the match was fixed, something that the FIFA officials brushed away. Ghandour was rumoured to have received a car from the FIFA vice-president Chung Mong-joon, a South Korean, in exchange for favouring the home side in the quarterfinals. These allegations prompted Ghandour to threaten legal action. Eventually Ghandour chose to end his career under a cloud of suspicion.
Ghandour also refereed two controversial matches between hosts UAE and Iraq, and Saudia Arabia and Iran, in the 1996 Asian Cup
. The UAE eventually won 1-0 after extra time, however many clear decisions went against the Iraqis, including a UAE defender punching the ball out of the area. The UAE faced Kuwait in the semi-final, with the Kuwaiti team having announced that they would withdraw had Iraq qualified. Saudi Arabia won the game in penalties and qualified to the final game after many decisions were suspected to favor the Saudi side.
Details
El-Ghandour has refereed the 2002 African Cup of NationsAfrican Cup of Nations
The Africa Cup of Nations, also referred to as the African Cup of Nations or African Nations Cup, officially CAN , is the main international association football competition in Africa. It is sanctioned by the Confederation of African Football , and was first held in 1957. Since 1968, it has been...
final (Cameroon vs Senegal), the second leg of the 2002 African Cup Winners' Cup
African Cup Winners' Cup
The African Cup Winners' Cup was a football competition that started in 1975 and merged with the CAF Cup in 2004 to form the CAF Confederations Cup...
final (Kotoko (Gha) 2:1 WAC (Mar)), and five successive African Cup of Nations, 1994, 1996, 1998, 2000, and 2002. He is the first African referee to run a match in the UEFA European Football Championship
UEFA European Football Championship
The UEFA European Football Championship is the main football competition of the men's national football teams governed by UEFA . Held every four years since 1960, in the even-numbered year between World Cup tournaments, it was originally called the UEFA European Nations Cup, changing to the current...
. He has also participated in one Olympic Games
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
, one FIFA Confederation Cup (2001), and one AFC Asian Cup
AFC Asian Cup
The AFC Asian Cup is an international association football tournament run by the Asian Football Confederation . It is the second oldest continental football championship in the world after Copa América. The winning team becomes the champion of Asia and automatically qualifies for the FIFA...
.
He also refereed in two FIFA World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
s, France 1998 and Korea/Japan 2002
He is also the first Egyptian referee to play as a professional referee (Japanese League 1999)
Controversy
Al-Ghandour was involved in the controversial South Korea - Spain quarterfinals in the 2002 World Cup where he was responsible for a number of controversial decisions, including giving a goal kick to South Korea after JoaquínJoaquín Sánchez Rodríguez
Joaquín Sánchez Rodríguez , simply Joaquín, is a Spanish footballer who plays for Málaga CF.A right winger, he is well known for his flashy style of play, lightning quick pace, acceleration, excellent dribbling ability and pinpoint crossing.During his career, Joaquín was solely associated with...
stopped the ball in front of the line, which led to the Spanish being denied two goals. Eventually Spain was beaten on penalties. The last penalty that Spain missed was also seen as controversial, Joaquín
Joaquín Sánchez Rodríguez
Joaquín Sánchez Rodríguez , simply Joaquín, is a Spanish footballer who plays for Málaga CF.A right winger, he is well known for his flashy style of play, lightning quick pace, acceleration, excellent dribbling ability and pinpoint crossing.During his career, Joaquín was solely associated with...
's shot was blocked by Lee Woon-Jae
Lee Woon-Jae
Lee Woon-Jae is a South Korean football goalkeeper, who plays for Chunnam Dragons in the South Korean K-League. He was part of Korea's 1994, 2002, 2006 and 2010 World Cup campaigns...
who stepped off his line before the ball was actually touched, breaking the rules. However, many neutrals believe that Al-Ghandour should not be held solely accountable because the crucial decisions that went wrong should have been spotted by the lines' men.
There was, however, no action taken. After the match there was international condemnation of the refereeing conduct and decisions. Allegations were rife that the match was fixed, something that the FIFA officials brushed away. Ghandour was rumoured to have received a car from the FIFA vice-president Chung Mong-joon, a South Korean, in exchange for favouring the home side in the quarterfinals. These allegations prompted Ghandour to threaten legal action. Eventually Ghandour chose to end his career under a cloud of suspicion.
Ghandour also refereed two controversial matches between hosts UAE and Iraq, and Saudia Arabia and Iran, in the 1996 Asian Cup
AFC Asian Cup
The AFC Asian Cup is an international association football tournament run by the Asian Football Confederation . It is the second oldest continental football championship in the world after Copa América. The winning team becomes the champion of Asia and automatically qualifies for the FIFA...
. The UAE eventually won 1-0 after extra time, however many clear decisions went against the Iraqis, including a UAE defender punching the ball out of the area. The UAE faced Kuwait in the semi-final, with the Kuwaiti team having announced that they would withdraw had Iraq qualified. Saudi Arabia won the game in penalties and qualified to the final game after many decisions were suspected to favor the Saudi side.
International match list
Q 94 | |||||
Q 96 | |||||
Cup of Nations 96 | |||||
Elz. | Cup of Nations 96 | ||||
Cup of Nations 96 | |||||
98 | |||||
Olympics 96 | |||||
Games Atlanta 96 | |||||
Games Atlanta 96 | |||||
Games Atlanta 96 | |||||
98 | |||||
96 | |||||
96 | |||||
96 | |||||
98 | |||||
98 | |||||
World Cup Q 98 | |||||
Cup of Nations 98 | |||||
Cup of Nations 98 | |||||
Cup France 98 | |||||
Cup France 98 | |||||
Cup France 98 | |||||
Cup Nations Q 2000 | |||||
Cup of Nations 2000 | |||||
Cup of Nations 2000 | |||||
Cup of Nations 2000 | |||||
Cup of Nations 2000 | |||||
Cup of Nations 2000 | |||||
2002 | |||||
2002 | |||||
Confederation Cup | |||||
Confederation Cup | |||||
2002 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONCACAF) The 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification, CONCACAF Zone ran from March 2000 to November 2001 in order to determine the three CONCACAF representatives at the 2002 FIFA World Cup. For an overview of the qualification rounds, see 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification.... | |||||
Cup of Nations 2002 | |||||
Africa | Cup of Nations 2002 | ||||
p3/2 | Cup of Nations 2002 Final | ||||
Cup Korea/Japan 02 | |||||
Rica | Cup Korea/Japan 02 | ||||
p5/3 | Cup Korea/Japan 02 |
Competition | of Matches |
| World Cup | |
| FIFA Confederation Cup | |
| Olympic Games | |
| African Cup of Nations> | |
| Asian Cup of Nations | |
| Asian World Cup Qualifiers | |
| European Cup Qualifiers | |
| Asian Olympic Qualifiers | |
| CONCACAF CONCACAF The Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football is the continental governing body for association football in North America, Central America and the Caribbean... World Cup Qualifiers | |
| African Cup Qualifiers | |
| African World Cup Qualifiers | |
| African Olympic Qualifiers | |
| Pan Arab Games | |
| Friendlies |