The Saudi Football Federation (SAFF) has banned international referee Fahad Al Miradasi for allegedly requesting money in view of fixing a match of the kingdom’s cup, few days before he was due to fly to Russia for the World Cup next month.
The 32-year old is the country’s world-class referee after he became FIFA international referee in 2011.
The Saudi disciplinary and ethics committee accused Miradasi of match-fixing attempt after he approached the President of Al Ittihad to help his side win the kingdom’s cup final against Al Faisaly on Saturday, in return for payment.
Al Ittihad official handed the referee’s proposal made via a WhatsApp message to the disciplinary and ethics committee, which referred the case to SAFF.
Miradasi according to the SAFF confessed to the attempt after being taken into custody. He was removed from the match roster and replaced by former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg who became Saudi Arabia’s head of referees in February 2017.
The SAFF has decided to block Miradasi from taking part in next month FIFA World Cup to take place in Russia. The Saudi referee is among five Arab shortlisted by the world football governing body to referee matches.
The federation was contacted by FIFA which requested more information before ruling out its qualified referee, BBC reports.
Miradasi officiated at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in 2016 and the Confederations Cup in Russia in 2017.
