Keith Hackett has called out AFCON final referee, Victor Gomes, for attempting to ‘gain notoriety on the back of’ Mo Salah.
The attracted controversy initially with his decision to offer the Egyptian his whistle and cards during the crucial decider between the Pharaohs and Senegal after the winger complained about a call, with a further elaboration on the issue hardly helping matters.
“To publish and try and gain notoriety on the back of a player and team is totally unacceptable,” the former PGMOL chief told Football Insider. “Those comments, coupled with the selfie with Sadio Mane mean he cannot referee those two teams or players again, otherwise his integrity is in question.”
The Liverpool No.11 returned to Merseyside early after his team suffered penalty shootout heartbreak, missing out on the chance to take a spot-kick himself.
Whilst in a similar vein to the sport, we’re all for the refereeing of games evolving and improving, officials who attempt to make moments about themselves will hardly be a welcome development for spectators.
Certainly, we’d agree that Gomes will be unlikely to ever go near a tie involving our Egyptian King again in light of his actions on the pitch and would probably be well-advised to keep a low profile in the meantime.
#Ep33 of The Red Nets Podcast: Diaz’s debut, Elliott’s return, Mane to La Liga?… and more!