WATCH: SA referee Victor Gomes offers Egypt’s Mohamed Salah his whistle in Afcon final

Referee Victor Gomes talks to Egypt captain Mohamed Salah during the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations Afcon Finals Final match between Senegal and Egypt held at Olembe Stadium in Yaounde, Cameroon on February 6. Photo: Shaun Roy/BackpagePix

Referee Victor Gomes talks to Egypt captain Mohamed Salah during the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations Afcon Finals Final match between Senegal and Egypt held at Olembe Stadium in Yaounde, Cameroon on February 6. Photo: Shaun Roy/BackpagePix

Published Feb 7, 2022

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Johannesburg - South African referee Victor Gomes offered Egypt striker Mohamed Salah his whistle in a lighter moment of the Africa Cup of Nations final in Olembe, Cameroon, on Sunday.

Gomes showed he was not going to be awestruck by star Liverpool striker Salah who was complaining about a decision which went against Egypt, and motioned for the 29-year-old to take over the officiating duties if he was not happy.

The match ended goalless, and not even extra time could separate the sides. Eventually, Salah’s Liverpool strike partner Sadio Mane struck the winning penalty to begin the celebrations for the West African nation.

The moment between Salah and Gomes later prompted reaction from a number of twitter users.

Most user saw the funny side.

Salah has had unprecented success in the English Premier League with 113 goals - an African record - but that didn’t stop Gomes from disciplining the player. This didn’t go unnoticed either.

— Football Scout (@Saidymaja) February 7, 2022

Others saw it simply as the perfect moment, in the beautiful game.

One user even went as far as employing his photoshop skills to give a visual representation of the role reversal.