VAR: Referee suspended for using fan’s phone to disallow goal

Egyptian referee Mohamed Farouk has been suspended for using a spectator's mobile phone to disallow a goal in a 2nd division match.

As BBC Africa reports, Al-Nasr thought they had equalized late at second-division Suez last Friday. Video refereeing does not exist in the Egyptian second division, the referee used the telephone to review a contentious action after the protests of the players of Suez FC for a hand fault. Mohamed Farouk then cancelled the goal.

Informed of the incident, the Egyptian Football Federation suspended the referee and linesmen from this match for an "indefinite period". "The committee has decided to investigate the incident in which Mohamed Farouk, the match referee, used a mobile phone to view images of the match," added the Egyptian Football Federation.

Suez FC needed to score their third goal shortly after the disallowed goal to secure a 3-1 win after 15 minutes of added time.

At the final whistle, referee Mohamed Farouk walked off the pitch under police escort, amid protests from Al-Nasr players and officials who threatened to take legal action for breaching the rules.