Gehad Zaglol Grisha (Arabic: جهاد زغلول جريشة; born 29 February 1976) is an Egyptian former football referee who refereed in the Egyptian Premier League from 2005 to 2021 and was a FIFA-listed referee from 2008 to 2021.[1] He refereed at five consecutive Africa Cup of Nations tournaments between 2012 and 2019, and also officiated at the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

Gehad Grisha
Full name Gehad Zaglol Grisha
Born (1976-02-29) 29 February 1976 (age 48)
Mit Ghamr, Dakahlia, Egypt
Other occupation Employee
Domestic
Years League Role
2004–2021 Egyptian Second Division Referee
2005–2021 Egyptian Premier League Referee
International
Years League Role
2008–2021 FIFA listed Referee
2013–2021 CAF Elite Referee

Refereeing career

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Grisha starting his officiating career in 2004 in the Egyptian Second Division before being promoted to the Egyptian Premier League in the next season. His first match in the top flight as a referee was on 28 November 2005 between Ismaily and Asyut Cement, which ended as a 4–0 win for Ismaily. Grisha showed only two yellow cards during that match.[2]

He made his international debut on 4 June 2009, officiating a match between France U-21 and Qatar U-20 at the 2009 Toulon Tournament.

He made his CAF debut on 28 February 2010, appearing at the 2010 CAF Champions League preliminary round second leg match between Al Ahly Benghazi and Djoliba; a match that ended goalless. One year later, on 1 October 2011 at the 2011 CAF Champions League, Grisha officiated the semi-final first leg match between Wydad Casablanca and Enyimba, which ended 1–0 for the Moroccan side.[3]

Grisha made his main international debut during the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations, officiating a group stage match between Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso as well as the third place match between Ghana and Mali.[4]

He was also selected to officiate at the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations, appearing as a fourth official in four matches and as main referee in one match. Following the tournament, Grisha became a member of the CAF Elite and was selected to appear at every Africa Cup of Nations tournament since 2013 alongside other CAF competitions.

Grisha was selected to officiate the 2014 Egypt Cup Final on 19 July 2014 between Zamalek and Smouha at 30 June Stadium in Cairo. One red card and four yellow cards were shown during the match, which Zamalek won 1–0.

Grisha served as a referee at the 2018 FIFA World Cup and officiated a match between England and Panama. Grisha was the first Egyptian referee to appear at the World Cup since 2006.

On 14 August 2021, Grisha officiated his last Egyptian Premier League game, taking charge of a match involving Ismaily and league leaders Zamalek. One week later, Grisha took role of the video assistant referee at the 2020 Arab Club Champions Cup Final in Morocco (which was postponed for more than one year due to the COVID-19 pandemic) between Al Ittihad Jeddah of Saudi Arabia and Moroccan side Raja Casablanca. The following day, on 22 August 2021, Grisha announced his retirement although being eligible for one more year.[5]

Matches

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Any appearances made as a fourth official or in non-official competitions are not included.

FIFA World Cup

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2018 FIFA World Cup – Russia
Date Match Venue Round
24 June 2018   England v   Panama Nizhny Novgorod Stadium Group stage

Africa Cup of Nations

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2012 Africa Cup of Nations – Equatorial Guinea and Gabon
Date Match Venue Round
26 January 2012   Ivory Coast v   Burkina Faso Estadio de Malabo Group stage
11 February 2012   Ghana v   Mali Estadio de Malabo Third place match
2013 Africa Cup of Nations – South Africa
Date Match Venue Round
25 January 2013   Zambia v   Nigeria Mbombela Stadium Group stage
2015 Africa Cup of Nations – Equatorial Guinea
Date Match Venue Round
18 January 2015   Zambia v   DR Congo Estadio de Ebibeyin Group stage
7 February 2015   DR Congo v   Equatorial Guinea Estadio de Malabo Third place match
2017 Africa Cup of Nations – Gabon
Date Match Venue Round
14 January 2017   Gabon v   Guinea-Bissau Stade de l'Amitié Group stage
2019 Africa Cup of Nations – Egypt
Date Match Venue Round
1 July 2019   Kenya v   Senegal 30 June Stadium Group stage
17 July 2019   Tunisia v   Nigeria Al Salam Stadium Third place match

African Nations Championship

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2014 African Nations Championship – South Africa
Date Match Venue Round
11 January 2014   South Africa v   Mozambique Cape Town Stadium Group stage
21 January 2014   Ethiopia v   Ghana Free State Stadium Group stage
2018 African Nations Championship – Morocco
Date Match Venue Round
16 January 2018   Cameroon v   Congo Stade Adrar Group stage

Personal life

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Grisha works as an employee at a petroleum company in Cairo.

References

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  1. ^ "Gehad Grisha - Football referee statistics". World Referee. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
  2. ^ "الإسماعيلي يسحق أسمنت أسيوط برباعية نظيفة... و الجيش بفوز على غزل المحلة" [Ismaily smash Asyut Cement with four goals, while Tala'ea El Gaish earn a hard-fought win against Ghazl El Mahalla]. FilGoal (in Arabic). 28 November 2005. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
  3. ^ "الوداد يدافع عن هدف باسكال" [Enyimba v Wydad: Moroccan side will try to defend Pascal's first leg goal tomorrow]. Eurosport Arabia (in Arabic). 15 October 2011. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
  4. ^ "Salomon Kalou leads Ivory Coast to victory over Burkina Faso". The Guardian. 26 January 2012. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
  5. ^ "جهاد جريشة يعلن عبر في الجول اعتزال التحكيم" [Gehad Grisha announces retirement]. FilGoal (in Arabic). 22 August 2021. Retrieved 22 August 2021.