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.
Hakem Victor Gomes, Salah'a düdüğünü ve kartını uzatarak maçı yönetmesini teklif etti. pic.twitter.com/jrbl4N8uLJ
— Ali Budak (@alii_budak) February 6, 2022
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.
Mohamed Salah complains to referee Victor Gomes.
— Joy Sports (@JoySportsGH) February 6, 2022
He offers Salah the whistle and the cards to continue the match. 😆#JoySports #AFCON2021 pic.twitter.com/xZN9QeQnK2
Most user saw the funny side.
Not Victor Gomes asking Mohamed Salah if he wants to takeover as the referee after the Egyptian star questioned a decision of his during the #AFCON2021 final 😂 pic.twitter.com/b3XhnzqM3p
— Soccerzela (@soccerzela) February 6, 2022
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.
Victor Gomes
He is the man he thinks he is, he doesn't care if you @MoSalah or @CyrilRamaphosa pic.twitter.com/cq8XfsWZWL
Others saw it simply as the perfect moment, in the beautiful game.
You want to do my Job? Here you go, the card and whistle.
— The Land & People (@deniyiclement) February 6, 2022
Victor Gomes to Mohamed Salah.
That was beautiful 😂#TeamSenegal #TeamEgypt #AFCON2021
One user even went as far as employing his photoshop skills to give a visual representation of the role reversal.
Victor Gomes vs Mohamed Salah 🤣![CDATA[]]>🤣![CDATA[]]>🤣 pic.twitter.com/k98aXEl8x8
— Judas Iscariot 🙏 (@Juda_Iscariots) February 6, 2022