CAPE TOWN - Egyptian Premier Soccer League player Mohamed Essam must have been watching too many videos of the great Jomo Sono, who drove fans wild when he stood on the ball in an act of showboating at stadiums around South Africa.
The 27-year-old Essam, a leftwinger who plays National Bank of Egypt FC, tried the same trick in a match last Wednesday when he joined the fray as a second-half substitute against Misr El-Maqasa, at the Othman Ahmed Othman Stadium. National Bank went to win the match 5-3.
Essam's act of standing on the ball in the 83rd minute enraged the opposition players who charged in to confront him. The referee agreed the showboating was infuriating and yellow-carded the player.
After the match, Essam, a former Egypt Under-20 cap, was slapped with a ban. His club National Bank decided he will not be allowed to play again this season, which ends in two weeks.
Al-Ahly Bank (National Bank) vient d’annoncer la suspension de Mohamed Essam pour ce geste technique jusqu’à la fin de la saison et une lourde amende à son encontre.
— Onze Masr (@onzemasr) August 19, 2021
En effet ce geste technique a généré une embrouille en fin de match.#EgyPL
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National Bank is currently in 15th position and hovering just above the relegation zone.
Meanwhile, the Egyptian Premier Soccer's title race is going down to the wire with three rounds of matches remaining. After 31 matches Zamalek heads the log with 73 points.
The defending champs, Pitso Mosimane's Al Ahly, are in second place on 69 points, also after 31 matches.