Ghanaian referee collapses while officiating Côte d’Ivoire vs Ethiopia AFCON qualifier

A Ghanaian referee, Charles Bulu, collapsed late in the game while refereeing the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier between Côte d’Ivoire and Ethiopia.

He was rushed to the hospital after he fell in the 80th minute with Côte d’Ivoire leading Ethiopia 3-1.

Bulu had replaced the original referee for the game, who had not arrived for the kick-off, according to BBC Sport Africa.

The appointed replacement for Bulu turned out to be Ivorian himself, and therefore could not take over, and the game was abandoned.

Regardless, Madagascar’s failure to beat bottom-placed Niger means Ethiopia will attend their first African Nations Cup finals since 2013.

Côte d’Ivoire won the group with 13 points, while Ethiopia qualified with 9 points as the second-placed team in Group K.

Madagascar finished third with 8 points above bottom-placed Niger, who also garnered 4 points.