Soccer-Referee in Egypt disallows goal after watching replay on mobile phone

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.

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.