ISMAILIYA: Ismaili refused to be blamed for the delay of their Saturday s match against Ghazl Mahalla, when the referee refused to blow the kick-off whistle as both sides were wearing almost identical Shorts.

The coastal club administrative director Mohamed Shokri insisted that his side had every right to wear shorts of a similar color to the hosts’.

We did nothing wrong, we followed the regulations of the competitions committee, Shokri told FilGoal.com after his side s 1-1 draw.

The referee got confused as the regulations state that jerseys and socks have to be of different colors, but nothing is mentioned about shorts.

He stressed that the Dervishes put on the same uniform in the same fixture last year, and nobody complained.

The Egyptian Football Association (EFA) has modified the regulations this season, mandating teams to wear different shorts as well.

However, the Ismaili official stood firm on his notion, saying Ahly and Telecom Egypt wore similar shorts in their game on Saturday.