Kiwi rugby referee comes under fire for appearing to CELEBRATE a Fiji try during World Cup clash with Australia
- New Zealand referee Ben O'Keeffe appeared to congratulate a Fijian player
- He was seen appearing to 'low five' Fiji fullback Kini Murimurivalu after a try
- Football fans were divided on the issue, with some claiming it was a 'bad look'
A New Zealand rugby referee has come under fire after appearing to congratulate a Fijian player after his team scored a try during a World Cup clash with Australia.
Kiwi referee Ben O’Keeffe was caught on camera seemingly giving a 'low five' to Fijian fullback Kini Murimurivalu after his team edged ahead 21-12.
The controversial moment came after Fijian winger Waisea Nayacalevu crossed the line in front of a packed crowd in Sapporo, Japan, on Saturday.
The act left O'Keeffe wide open to criticism, with rugby fans taking to social media to accuse the 30-year-old of showing favouritism to the underdogs.
New Zealand referee Ben O'Keeffe (in red) appeared to give Fiji's fullback a low-five after a try
'Professional refs shouldn't be doing this, can be seen as biased. How would you take if it was a aussie ref celebrating a try scored against the all blacks?' questioned one.
'He shouldn't have done it - fair and simple. He was wrong,' wrote a second.
'Not the only bad call he made in that game,' added a third.
Cheeky fans quickly hijacked O'Keeffe's official Wikipedia page, writing: 'Ben O'Keeffe is an ophthalmologist (eye specialist) on weekdays and a blind rugby union referee on weekends.'
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But some rugby fans said they didn't see an issue with the gesture.
'As a ref and rugby man, sometimes you can't help but congratulate a great play! Nothing to do with impartiality just a natural response,' one person explained.
'Just a Kiwi being a Kiwi,' mused another.
Despite the early setback, the Wallabies went on to win the game 39-21.
O'Keeffe will referee France versus USA on October 2, and Japan versus Scotland on October 13.
O'Keeffe (pictured) was accused of showing favouritism to the underdog team
