By Samindra Kunti
May 14 – A World Cup-bound referee who is one of Asian football’s most experienced officials has been placed under investigation in Saudi Arabia after being removed from handling last weekend’s Saudi cup final.
The Saudi Football Federation confirmed that Fahad Al Mirdasi had been forced to stand down from taking charge of the prestigious King’s Cup final without specifying the reason.
FIFA says “the matter is with the Saudi Arabian Football Federation,” declining to offer further comment on his status at the World Cup, which starts in under a month in Russia.
Al-Mirdasi was replaced at the last minute for the match between Al-Ittihad and Al-Faisaly by former FIFA and English Premier League referee Mark Clattenberg who is currently employed by the Saudis as their head of refereeing.
“The Saudi Arabian Football Federation, with the blessing of the Saudi Olympic Committee, has decided to remove referee Fahad Al-Mirdasi from refereeing the King’s Cup final and to refer him to the General Investigations Bureau,” read a tweet on SAFF’s official Twitter account.
Al Mirdasi, one of 36 officials selected by FIFA for Russia, took part in last year’s Confederations Cup, the traditional World Cup warm-up tournament, overseeing the third-place game between Mexico and Portugal where two penalties were awarded, two players were sent off in extra time and Mexico coach Juan Carlos Osorio was also dismissed. He was also a referee at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics.
Amid immediate speculation of possible matchfixing, the Saudi daily sports newspaper Al Riyadiya newspaper reported that Al Mirdasi had suspended on suspicion of bribery in phone calls he made with an unidentified club president on the eve of the final. The club president is reported to have referred the matter to Turki Al Al-Sheikh, head of the Saudi Sports Authority.
Al-Mirdasi, one of three Saudi officials selected by FIFA for the World Cup, has been referred to the country’s administrative attorney, who, in general, investigates financial irregularities and bribery. His position must be in serious doubt, with FIFA likely to want clarification surrounding the exact reasons for SAFF’s decision to suspend and then place one of Asia’s top referees under investigation.
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