A World Cup referee from Saudi Arabia has been banned from football for life in his home country, just weeks before flying to Russia to officiate at the World Cup 2018. 

Fahad Al Mirdasi, a FIFA-listed official since 2011, was one of 36 individuals chosen to officiate at the World Cup. 

On Tuesday, the Saudi Arabia Football Federation (SAFF) accused Mirdasi of fixing the outcome of a football match in exchange for payment, banning him from football in Saudi Arabia for life. 

An investigation into the matter revealed that the 32-year-old had asked an Al-Ittihad official for money before a match against Al-Faisaly ... via WhatsApp. 

The Al-Ittihad chief, Hamad Al-Senaie, then handed over the messages to SAFF officials, who then referred the matter to The General Authority for Sport - the highest sports authority in Saudi Arabia.

During an interrogation, Al Mirdasi admitted to "soliciting the corrupt payment."

This resulted in a lifetime football ban in Saudi Arabia.

The kingdom's football federation has requested FIFA "hand him a lifetime global ban as well as removing him from the World Cup list," according to The Independent. 

Fifa has requested more information, according to the BBC.

"Fifa notes the information that referee Fahad Al Mirdasi has allegedly been banned from all football-related activities by the Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF)," the world governing body told BBC Sport.

The 32-year-old earned a FIFA badge in 2011. He then officiated at the Rio Olympics in 2016 and the Confederations Cup in Russia in 2017.

For millions of Muslim students across the world, Ramadan can be quite difficult, especially when it falls during a period of final exams. 

This is why many coordinate with their supervisors to ensure they're able to make the most of the holy month while also keeping up their academic performance. 

These students include Nuhaa Soeker, who studies at the University of Cape Town (UCT) in South Africa. 

Earlier this week, the student emailed John Higgins, one of her professors, asking if students will be allowed time to break their fast during an exam which coincides with iftar. 

His insensitive response led Soeker to tweet out a screenshot of the email conversation via a Twitter thread that has now gone completely viral. 

As hundreds of people tweeted at UCT, demanding that its officials take action over the incident, the university responded via a tweet. 

A document was also published on the university's official website, which stated that students observing Ramadan will be "accommodated" during exams.

"Students who wish to break their fast during the 17:00 exams in the month of Ramadan will be accommodated as well as those who wish to do their daily prayers. Students have on previous occasions sat quietly at their desks and broke their fast. Students are also allowed to take a short break should they wish to exit an exam session, during which they will be escorted by an invigilator."