The incredible play that hurt Canada against Belgium and that removed all doubts from a referee with an unusual past

As in the match between Argentina and Saudi Arabia, also in this case the arbitration left many doubts in a match of the World Cup in Qatar 2022. The VAR and the technology that -it was supposed- would land in football to eradicate injustices and human errors – of the referees still showed cracks and clarified that neither with the hundreds of cameras filming game action, nor with the assistance of a referee watching the match in a TV booth, nor with the possibility of the main referee to see the replay a game on the monitor of the playing field ceases to generate controversy.

This time it was in the match between Belgium and Canada, for the first fixture of Group F. They went 0-0 in the first half when the game had just a handful of minutes on the clock. After an attack from the right by the North Americans, the game got watered down and the ball remained on the feet of the Belgians.

Tajon Buchanan, the Canadian striker from Bruges in Belgium, was left in a clear attacking position on the right of the attack, inside the opponent’s area. The ball dominated Danger of Eden On the doorstep and choked by the pressure, he responded with an overtaking move.

Hazard cleared Buchanan, who made contact with the ball and in one quick movement he left the goal. Jan Vertonghen. The defender of the European team committed a clear penalty and generated a protest from Canadians.

But Zambian referee Janny Sikazwe He gained an advanced position at the behest of the line. How? Wasn’t the pass from a Belgian player? In clear ignorance of the basic rules of the game, Sikazwe gave his assistant judge a right hand despite clearly seeing the game.

While Buchanan complained to the referee and clearly explained what the whole stadium had observed – namely that the pass was from Hazard, therefore it was enabled – Janny Sikazwe had been waiting for a call from the VAR for some time which never came. Why didn’t the referee assistance intervene?

Earlier, at the request of the VAR, the referee had awarded a penalty for Canada following a hand ball by Yannick Carrasco (which was saved by Courtois from Alphonso Davies). Could it be that more than one fine cannot be charged? Subsequently a foul by Witsel in the box was also ignored by the referee and the VAR. And again, with the technology, suspicions have been generated.

The Disastrous Story of Janny Sikazwe

The best referees from each federation should go to the World Cup, but with Zambian Janny Sikazwe’s background in the Africa Cup of Nations, it’s difficult to understand his appointment for Qatar 2022.

The African Cup gave away one of the curiosities of the year in January during the match between Tunisia and Mali. Sikazwe called the match with five minutes left and then did it again with 10 seconds left at 90.

When the match was underway at 79 minutes, the 42-year-old judge informed the fourth official that he was adding five minutes so he evidently confused the numbers and ended the match at 85, when Mali led 1-0.

Faced with this situation, Tunisian technical director Mondher Kebaier along with all his assistants elatedly said that there were still minutes left of the game and Sikazwe finally resumed the match.

But unusually, the referee once again signaled the end of the match with 10 seconds remaining and without adding extra minutes, provoking the wrath of the Tunisian coach who this time claimed it with a little more anger and in Janny’s face , which had to count on the protection of security guards.

Thirty minutes later they tried to inform the teams to return to the field to play just three minutes but Tunisia refused to leave so Mali won 1-0.