Former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg stopped a Saudi Arabia cup match apparently out of respect for the Muslim call to prayer – and has earned widespread praise from football fans in the country.
Clattenburg was officiating a match in Saudi Arabia between Al Feiha and Al-Fateh on Wednesday when the Adhan sounded around the King Salman Sport City Stadium from nearby mosques.
The game was into the fifth minute of extra time when he halted the action with the teams level at 1-1.
When the match resumed, Al Feiha scored their second goal in the 118th minute to reach the quarter-finals.
On a clip viewable on social media there is a round of applause for the decision and people have posted their admiration for Clattenburg’s actions:
Call to prayer stops game in Saudi Arabia, in the 95th minute…. https://t.co/r1P8lcd3Os
— James Montague (@JamesPiotr) January 24, 2018
As @ahdaafme points out, it's @clattenburg1975 blowing the whistle!
— James Montague (@JamesPiotr) January 24, 2018
https://twitter.com/Abo_Ali_Khalaf/status/956199508903383040
Well done Mark @clattenburg1975 Massive respect for stopping the game out of respect for the call to prayer https://t.co/uLPrbkVkmI
— Abdi (@ab_haji20) January 24, 2018
