Eagle-eyed viewers landed a VAR official in hot water after they spotted him on a betting site moments before kick-off.
Zoomed-in footage shows how the match official had his eyes fixed on the page of a popular betting site on his phone.
The ref was caught after footage from the video operation room was broadcast in the moments before kick-off on Wednesday (2 Apr).
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The top-flight Bulgarian league fixture played in the capital, Sofia, saw CSKA Sofia beat local rivals Lokomotiv Sofia 1-0.
The official was suspended after his gaffe at the Vasil Levski National Stadium began doing the rounds on social media.
Hawk-Eye Innovations, which is responsible for the VAR system in the Bulgarian First League, explained the decision in a letter to the Bulgarian Football Union.
It said: “Hawk-Eye Innovations acknowledges with regret an incident involving one of its VAR operators during the Parva Liga match between PFC CSKA-Sofia and PFC Lokomotiv Sofia yesterday evening (2nd April 2025).
“Live footage from the camera situation in the VAR operations room documented the individual utilising a personal smartphone during the match and appearing to engage in inappropriate activities which would constitute gross misconduct in relation to the responsibilities of their assigned role.”
The company said it would investigate the official during his suspension, as reported by Need To Know.
It added: “If the individual has been found to have been engaging in such inappropriate activity, we will look to dismiss the individual in accordance with their contractual terms.”
VAR landed in controversy again on Wednesday (3 Apr) after Everton’s James Tarkowski escaped a possible red card against Liverpool.
It also ruled out a screamer by Moisés Caicedo in Chelsea’s clash against Tottenham Hotspur following a lengthy review.
VAR also chalked off Pape Matar Sarr’s long range strike in the same match last (3 Apr) night.
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