Fahad Al Mirdasi willnot officiate in the World Cup
A World Cup-bound referee has been banned for life for a
match-fixing attempt in Saudi Arabia just weeks before he was due to fly
to Russia, says the country's football federation.
The Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) says Fahad Al Mirdasi
confessed to offering to fix the King's Cup final between Al Ittihad and
Al Faisaly.
According to the SAFF, 32-year-old Al Mirdasi contacted an Al Ittihad official, who handed the messages over.
Fifa has requested more information.
"Fifa notes the information that referee Fahad Al Mirdasi has
allegedly been banned from all football-related activities by the Saudi
Arabian Football Federation (SAFF)," the world governing body told BBC
Sport.
The SAFF added that Al Mirdasi, who has been a Fifa referee since
2011, admitted soliciting the corrupt payment after being taken into
police custody.
British former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg - who became
Saudi Arabia's head of referees in February 2017 - replaced Al Mirdasi
for Saturday's King's Cup final, which Al Ittihad won 3-1 after extra
time.
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Culled from BBC Sports
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