From surviving assault to refereeing Africa’s biggest derby — Who will referee the 2025 Egyptian Super Cup Final between Al Ahly and Zamalek? | OneFootball

The Turkish official returns to Arab football for the high-profile Cairo derby in Abu Dhabi

From surviving assault to refereeing Africa’s biggest derby — Who will referee the 2025 Egyptian Super Cup Final between Al Ahly and Zamalek?

The Egyptian Football Association EFA has officially announced the refereeing team for the Egyptian Super Cup Final 2025 which will pit eternal rivals Al Ahly & Zamalek against each other on Sunday 9 November at Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi, UAE.

A Turkish refereeing crew led by Halil Umut Meler will take charge of the high-stakes encounter, one of the biggest fixtures in African and Arab football.

Full Referee Team

Experience on the international stage

Meler 39 has been FIFA listed referee since 2017 and joined UEFA’s elite category in 2022. He has overseen numerous major matches including:

And he was among the officials selected for UEFA Euro 2024 in Germany.

Egyptian fans will also remember Meler from his previous officiating of Al Ahly’s 3-0 win over Al Ain in the 2024 Intercontinental Cup, staged in Cairo last October.

A referee who survived one of football’s darkest moments

Despite his success, Meler’s career nearly came to tragic halt in December 2023 when he was assaulted on the pitch by Faruk Koca president of Turkish club MKE Ankaragucu following 1-1 draw with Caykur Rizespor.

The shocking attack left Meler hospitalized with facial injuries and forced the Turkish Football Federation to suspend all league matches for a week. Koca was later sentenced to three years and seven month in prison marking landmark case in European football’s fight to protect referees.

After recovering Meler returned to top-flight action earlier this season managing five match in the Turkish Super Lig along with assignments in the UEFA Europa League, UEFA Conference League and UAE Pro League.