For a start, there are subtler ways for referees to influence soccer games than by finishing them five minutes early, a tactic that\u2019s guaranteed to grab headlines worldwide.<\/p>\n
And if the fix was in for Mali to win the game, why did Sikazwe award Tunisia a penalty and send Toure off?<\/p>\n
That red card was dubious. But if it had been pre-ordered by a gambling syndicate, why did it come after Sikazwe had initially tried to end the game with no sendings-off?<\/p>\n
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And if the two penalties were pre-arranged, why did the referee initially not award them, only to change his mind after intervention from the video assistant referee (VAR)?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Many questions. But in this case, the official explanation appears to be the most plausible.<\/p>\n
AFCON officials said Thursday the referee has been treated in the hospital after the game for suspected heatstroke and severe dehydration.<\/p>\n
It seems that running around for 89 minutes and 47 seconds in 93-degree heat and 65 per cent humidity in Limbe can do strange things to a man.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) game between Tunisia and Mali ended in chaos and confusion Wednesday. That’s after Zambian referee Janny Sikazwe blew his whistle for full time in the 85th minute. The bizarre and unprecedented incident at the Limbe Stadium in Cameroon sparked protests from Tunisian players, who were trailing 1-0 after a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":36,"featured_media":197986,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21,16,1074],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
Why Tunisia-Mali AFCON Referring Scandal Probably Wasn\u2019t Match Fixing<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n