Egypt Suspends Referee for Checking Goal on Spectator's Phone

A referee has been suspended after using a spectator's phone to evaluate a goal.

According to the Dailymail, Egyptian referee Mohamed Farouk has been suspended indefinitely by the country's FA.

He disallowed the goal after examining the event.

In the absence of VAR, Mohamed Farouk took command of an Egyptian Second Division match between Al-Nasr and Suez on Friday and used an alternative technique to gain a second look at a late goal.

With Suez leading 2-1 in the last minutes, Al-Nasr struck a remarkable equalizer to gain a point on the road.

But, following loud protestations from home fans, Farouk was allowed to examine a replay of the goal on a fan's phone before ruling it out for handball to deprive the visitors an away point at Suez on Friday.

According to the Dailymail, Farouk has received severe punishment as a result of his conduct, with the president of the Egyptian Referees Committee, Vitor Pereira, opting to suspend the referee and his whole matchday team for a "indefinite period."

Pereira took over as ERC president in March, succeeding former experienced Premier League official Mark Clattenburg.

The Egyptian FA verified Pereira's actions, adding, "The committee decided to examine the situation when Mohamed Farouk, the match's referee, used a cell phone to watch footage of the match's happenings."