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Egypt suspends referee for reviewing goal on spectator’s phone.
According to the Daily Mail, the Egyptian FA has suspended referee Mohamed Farouk indefinitely after he purportedly disallowed a goal after checking footage on a spectator’s phone.
In the absence of VAR, Mohamed Farouk used an alternative technique to review a late goal in an Egyptian Second Division match between Al-Nasr and Suez on Friday.
Al-Nasr struck a remarkable equalizer with the hosts Suez leading 2-1 going into the last few minutes to gain a point away from home.
To prevent the visitors from earning a point away from Suez on Friday, Farouk was asked to see a replay of the goal on a fan’s phone following loud objections from home supporters. He then ruled the goal out for handball.
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Dailymail reports that as a result of his actions, Farouk has come in for hefty punishment, with the head of the Egyptian Referees Committee, Vitor Pereira, deciding to suspend the referee and his entire matchday staff for ‘an indefinite period’.
Pereira replaced former veteran Premier League official Mark Clattenburg in the role with the ERC earlier in March.
Pereira’s action was confirmed by the Egyptian FA, who added, “The committee decided to investigate the incident when Mohamed Farouk, the referee of the match, used a mobile phone to review footage of the match’s events.”