AFCON Ref Rushed To Hospital After Chaotic Scenes
It has been claimed that the referee in charge of Tunisia’s 1-0 loss to Mali at the Africa Cup of Nations on Wednesday was taken to hospital after he blew for full-time early on two occasions.
According to a report coming out of Cameroon match official, Janny Sikazwe was the victim of heat stroke and was taken to hospital after his horror performance in Cameroon on Wednesday.
The top Zambian referee was at the centre of never-seen-before drama when he whistled for full-time twice before the end of the allotted 90 minutes. The full story is explained here.
It has since been claimed by journalist Tarek Talaat that he was informed by legendary Egyptian referee Essam Abdel-Fatah, who currently works as head of referees in his native country, that Sikazwe suffered from heatstroke in Limbe on Wednesday.
The journalist tweeted: “Captain Essam Abdel Fattah confirmed that Jani Sikazwe was hit by a sunstroke that lost focus and was taken to hospital.”
As a result, the match official was said to be taken to a nearby medical centre for tests, though the outcome of those tests appears to remain unknown.
Sikazwe is considered among the best referees on the African continent, having previously overseen games in the FIFA Club World Cup and the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
He has previously, however, come under scrutiny after he was suspended by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) four years ago for some dubious calls in a match between Primeiro de Agosto and Esperance Tunis in a CAF Champions League clash.
