Victor Gomes explains what happened in viral picture with Mo Salah at AFCON final

South African referee Victor Gomes has described what happened in a viral picture doing round on Sunday involving him and Mohamed Salah during the AFCON final between Egypt and Senegal.

Everyone was giving different caption to the picture which showed referee Victor Gomes offering his whistle and cards to Mohamed Salah who didn’t look impressed with something.

And the 39-year-old has revealed what happened in the viral picture.

“I respect the players that I officiate with and I don’t like to talk about the decisions I make on the field,” Gomes said during a media event on Thursday.

“However, I do like to highlight some points for educational purposes and I also believe we have a responsibility to report positively on football matters so that our work is understood.

“Football has evolved tremendously and so have the players, who are highly respected and paid. Refereeing also has to evolve in that manner.

“We can’t stick to the old adage of officiating in a set way and style. All I can say is that on Sunday, I chose to manage a top-class player in a way I thought would be deemed appropriate and responsible. Football was the ultimate winner on the day.”