Essam Abdel-Fatah
Appearance
Essam Abd El Fatah (Arabic: عصام عبد الفتاح) (born December 30, 1965) is an Egyptian football (soccer) referee. Abd El Fatah has been a referee since 2001; his first international game was between Morocco and Sierra Leone in 2003. He was the referee for the match between Australia and Japan in the 2006 FIFA World Cup. A controversial decision resulted in Japan's only goal, a decision which Australian media claimed that he later admitted was in error.[1], which was subsequently denied by Abd El Fatah in an interview with Egyptian media.[2] Abd El Fatah is a pilot in the Egyptian Army Air Force and he is currently a Lieutenant Major.