World Cup: 'Corrupt' Belgium vs. Canada referee's previous suspension revealed

Fans who watched Wednesday night's game between Canada and Belgium at the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar have been left in shock by the number of questionable calls that were made by referee Janny Sikazwe.

Fans were so outraged by the calls to the point that many of them started to dig up information on the Zambian official. Before the match was even over, many started to share posts on social media revealing that the referee had previously been suspended over questionable calls. It was also revealed that he previously hit the headlines when he ended a match five minutes early.

Fans started to question the credibility of the referee due to incidents that were observed in the first half of the match between Canada and Belgium. Everything seemed fine when he awarded a penalty in favour of Canada, which was taken by Alphonso Davies. Belgian keeper Thibaut Courtois then made a fantastic save to keep Canada from taking the early lead.

However, things turned bizarre from there. Canada pressed on and dominated the attack, fully putting the Belgian defence under pressure, This resulted in two fouls which looked like they should have been penalties. However, referee Sikazwe did not even bother to check with VAR. Unfortunately, even with the technology available, he did not even take the opportunity to review the footage before making a final decision.

The official broadcast showed replays of the fouls, with nearly everyone saying that they should have been penalties.

The questionable calls pushed fans to dig up the dirt and discover that in 2018, Sikazwe decided to blow the final whistle in the 85th minute of a match between Tunisia and Mali. In the same match, he also ignored VAR over a potential red card. As a result, he was suspended by the African Football Federation (CAF), but has since been able to return and even officiate in the World Cup.

Apart from the suspension, the Namibian referee was also embroiled in match-fixing scandals in the African Champions League.

Needless to say, he has a tarnished reputation but somehow managed to officiate in the world stage in football's biggest event. Many believe that he was clearly working against Canada on Wednesday evening, but an official investigation still needs to take place.

It has not yet been revealed if Canada will file an official complaint over the incidents. Belgium went on to win the match 1-0, but it could have been 2-0 or 3-0 to Canada had the calls been different. FIFA has not yet issued a statement on the controversy, but this is just one of the issues that the organisers in Qatar are dealing with.

The 2022 FIFA World Cup has been hit by scandal after scandal right from the moment the host country was chosen. It is being alleged that bribery was involved, and now the event itself is facing backlash for the last minute ban on beer sales and FIFA's decision to sanction players who might decide to wear the "One Love" armband.