Referee in Egypt disallows goal after watching replay on mobile phone

The referee left the pitch under police protection, amid protests from Al-Nasr players and officials, who threatened to take legal action against him.

Representative Image: With the video assistant referee system (VAR) not operated in second-tier games, referee Mohamed Farouk had to use the phone of a crowd member for a replay. | Photo Credit: Getty Images

A referee ruled out a late goal after using a mobile phone to review an incident during a second division match in Egypt on Friday.

With the video assistant referee system (VAR) not operated in second-tier games, referee Mohamed Farouk had to use the phone of a crowd member during the match between Suez and Al-Nasr.

Al-Nasr thought they had scored a late equaliser, but the hosts protested due to a hand ball, and after a long time spent reviewing the video on the phone, the referee decided to rule out the goal.

Fifteen minutes of stoppage time were added and Suez won the game 3-1.

The referee left the pitch under police protection, amid protests from Al-Nasr players and officials, who threatened to take legal action against the referee for violating the regulations.