Chaos erupts after Zambian referee blows full-time whistle twice too early: Watch
Coming back to the clash between Tunisia and Mali, Ibrahima Kone scored the sole goal of the match as he netted a penalty for his side in the 48th minute.
- SportFit
- 2 min read
In a bizarre incident that occurred during the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) match between Tunisia and Mali, Zambian referee Janny Sikazwe blew the full-time whistle before the regulation time was over. Sikazwe blew the full-time whistle twice in the game - once in the 85th minute and again in the 89th minute. The Tunisian squad managed to persuade the referee to overturn his decision after the first whistle, but the match official refused to budge when he prematurely blew the whistle for the second time in the game, a minute prior to the 90-minute mark.
It is not yet clear why Sikazwe, who was suspended in 2018 by CAF over charges of corruption, made the controversial decision. When Sikazwe blew the full-time whistle for the second time in the 89th minute, the entire Tunisian coaching staff stormed the pitch to challenge the referee's decision. In videos that are now going viral on various social media platforms, the Tunisian coaching staff can be seen surrounding Sikazwe in an attempt to convince him to not call off the match before the regulation time was over. Sikazwe refused to take back the decision.
😳 The referee has blown the whistle after 89 minutes in Tunisia vs Mali #AFCON
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) January 12, 2022
😡 Tunisian coach Mondher Kebaier is furious with the decision to finish the game with no additional time pic.twitter.com/RISJCnclAK
However, after an intervention by the CAF, Sikazwe agreed to restart the match but the Tunisian team refused to take the field in protest. The match was officially awarded to Mali, who were already ahead with a 1-0 lead in the match. Sikazwe made several dubious calls throughout the match as he awarded a total of 28 fouls, two penalties, four yellow cards, and one red card. Here's how netizens reacted to bizarre scenes that unfolded at the Limbe Omnisport Stadium in Cameroon.
Referee in the AFCON has blown the final whistle twice, first in the 85th minute, then 89th minute.
— FootballFunnys (@FootballFunnnys) January 12, 2022
Security escorting the ref out of the stadium because the Tunisia coaching squad stormed the pitch 😂 pic.twitter.com/8fIkulQsJz
AFCON is wild 😂 pic.twitter.com/rAVPPhc2UM
— FootballFunnys (@FootballFunnnys) January 12, 2022
Anyone saying the level of refereeing in AFCON is poor has never watched the kind of tackles that go unpunished in Copa America. You're lucky Copa America is played when everyone is asleep.
— WelBeast (@WelBeast) January 12, 2022
Crazy Kennar appeared at AFCON as a ref for the biggest comedy in African football history 😂😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/ysXun6JeGW
— Mr Black⁛ (@MrBlackOG) January 12, 2022
Tunisia vs Mali
Coming back to the clash between Tunisia and Mali, Ibrahima Kone scored the sole goal of the match as he netted a penalty for his side in the 48th minute. El Bilal Toure was the player who received the only red card of the match which came in the 87th minute, a couple of minutes after Sikazwe blew his first full-time whistle. With the win, Mali have risen to the No. 2 spot in the Group F points table. Tunisia is lurking at the bottom of the same points table, where Gambia is on top.