Nov 23 2022-09:02
Jani Sikazoy in the scandalous match between Mali and Tunisia – Photo: Heikal Hamima/Anadolu Agency/Anadolu Agency via AFP
Jani Sikazwe wrote himself in football history by attempting to blow up the Mali-Tunisia match in the 85th minute of the African Cup that was held earlier this year. In the end, they were able to continue the match, but in the remaining few minutes the Zambian referee made several controversial decisions. He sent off a player, even though he shouldn’t have, and then blew the game away at 89:43, even though the game was minutes in front of him. So the extra time would have been justified, not to mention that the match had lasted at least 90 minutes. Sikazoy in hindsight He saidconfused by the heat wave in Tunisia – driving an evening match in Qatar, and in an air-conditioned stadium, so that it is not a problem.
However, it seems that this small comma did not bother FIFA, because Jani Sikazoy will be present at the Qatar World Cup, and will lead the Belgium-Canada match on Wednesday night. The fact that Sikazwe was banned from refereeing in 2018 for allegedly cheating in a CAF Champions League match is also not an excluding factor. It can be said that the Zambian referee is a routine participant in the World Cup, as he officiated two matches at the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
In some ways, Sikazwe’s inclusion makes perfect sense. A feature of the World Cup in Qatar is that the matches are mercilessly long, and extra time from 10 to 14 minutes is not uncommon, but for example, England and Iran lasted 117 minutes due to the Iranian goalkeeper’s many maintenance. English goal delights, substitutions and video recording. In short, the Zambian referee is the right man to put an end to this madness in extra time.
