Infotainment Factory: Egyptian ref suspended over fake VAR scandal

A referee in a second-tier Egyptian football league has been suspended after he used a fan's mobile phone to disallow a 90th minute equaliser.

From a free kick, Al-Nasr appeared to score an equalising goal from a header but opposition players and officials surrounded the referee, apparently appealing for a handball.

At this point, referee Mohamed Farouk made the extraordinary decision to use a fan's phone to watch a recording and disallow the goal.

There is no VAR in the second-tier, and so no regulation that would allow referees to watch fan's recordings to make decisions.

A referee in an Egyptian second tier football league has been suspended after he used a fan's mobile phone to disallow a late equaliser after appeals for a hand ball.

After the match, the officials were surrounded by security staff and police to protect them from angry supporters.

In a statement, the Egyptian Football Association said the referees committee had suspended the entire refereeing staff from that game for an "indefinite period".

"The crew includes [Farouk], the two assistants, and the fourth referee," the statement said.

"It was also decided to open a comprehensive investigation into the incident when Farouk, the referee of the match, used a mobile phone to review one of the footage of the match, which was held in the new Suez Stadium."

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