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Sikhumbuzo Moyo, Senior Sports Reporter
BLUNDERING Zambian referee Janny Sikazwe is said to have suffered a heat stroke moments after shocking the entire world by twice ending the game between Mali and Tunisia at the Afcon finals before the mandatory 90 minutes on Wednesday.

Mali won the game 1-0.

Sikazwe first blew for the final whistle in the 85th minute of the match between the two sides before restarting play, rejecting a VAR review of a red card and then ending the match 20 seconds early once again.

Zambianfootballnews.com, quoted an unnamed Caf source confirming the matter.

“Yes, I can confirm that referee J

suffered from heatstroke during the Mali and Tunisia #Afcon2021 match earlier today,” wrote the online publication.

Heat stroke is a condition caused by your body overheating, usually as a result of prolonged exposure to or physical exertion in high temperatures.

This most serious form of heat injury can occur if your body temperature rises to 40°C or higher.

Caf head of communications Lux September could neither confirm nor deny the development when Chronicle Sport contacted him, while Fifa referees’ instructor Felix Tangawarina said he wasn’t in Cameroon and was also trying to confirm the news from people on the ground

“Sorry, I cannot comment on that,” said September.
Sikazwe (42), a trained Zambian teacher, is not new to controversy.

In November 2018, a few months after officiating at the Fifa World Cup finals in Russia where he handled two matches involving Belgium versus Panama as well as Japan versus Poland, Sikazwe was suspended by Caf on suspicion of corruption for the manner in which he handled a Caf Champions League match between Esperance of Tunisia and Primiero Agosto of Angola.

Esperance beat Rades 4-2, but Sikazwe awarded them a controversial penalty for their opening goal, before ruling out an Agosto goal for a perceived foul on the Esperance goalkeeper.

The ruling of the Caf disciplinary board at the time said: “The chairman of the Caf disciplinary board decides that there is good ground to hold a hearing regarding allegations of corruption made against Janny Sikazwe. Sikazwe is provisionally suspended from all football activities related to Caf pending a hearing before Caf disciplinary board.”

However, Fifa overturned the ruling in January 2019.