The scandal after the Tunisia-Mali game is over. Tunisia’s appeal has been rejected and the 1-0 Mali game stands, while the referee Janny Sikazwe, who caused the commotion with his decisions has apparently suffered sunstroke and was rushed to the hospital afterward, and now is on his way home. The first scandal at this year’s AFCON has now been ended, and it all started when Sikazwe blew the full-time whistle with just 85 minutes played before restarting play for four minutes, only to blow again with just 89 minutes and 43 seconds of the clash gone.AFCON 2021: Ghana on redemption path, Senegal eye last 16 in four bumper Friday fixturesThe teams were ordered to come back to the pitch after 40 minutes and the fourth referee was ready to finish the job, but Tunisia refused to come out and he whistled the end with Mali winning 1-0.“The organising committee has decided to dismiss the protest lodged by the Tunisian team. To homologate the match result as 1-0 in favour of Mali” a statement from CAF read.📌 Zambian Referee Janny Sikazwe has been sent home, following his unfortunate incident in the Tunisia v Mali game at the Limbe Stadium 🏟️.A short end to his journey at the AFCON in Cameroon. 😬😬@Africansoccerup#ClassSports #TotalEnergiesAFCON2021 #AFCON2021 #AFCON2021 pic.twitter.com/5WiR9FbwOA— Class 91.3FM Sports (@Class_Sports) January 14, 2022 AFCON’s head of referees Essam Abdel-Fatah has defended the referee, insisting he has suffered sunstroke. “The referee suffered from heatstroke and very severe dehydration, which led to him losing focus and was taken to the hospital. It caused him to lose time in the 80th minute, and he ended the match in the 85th minute. He returned after directions from the assistant staff and then returned to finish the match in the 89th minute. When the crisis occurred and the objections and control were lost in the match, the fourth referee was the one who was going to complete the match instead of Sikazwe, but one of the two teams refused” Abdel-Fatah told MBC Egypt’s Al-Laib.(2.10) SENEGAL (3.15) GUINEA (4.30)Tunisia, who had an advantage in the later stages of the game, since Mali player has been sent off, didn’t want to come back to the match, as their players were already in ice batch after 40 minutes delay.“The referee also blew with five minutes left in the first half. Then he blew after 89 minutes in the second, denying us practically seven or eight minutes of added time. His decision is inexplicable. He blew for full-time and asked us to go to the dressing room. The players were in their ice baths when asked to come out. In 30 years in this business I have never seen anything like it” said Tunisia boss Mondher Kebaier after the match.AFCON 2021: Comical refereeing overshadows Mali’s win over TunisiaSikazwe was previously suspended under allegations of corruption in 2018, due to the manner in which he handled a CAF Champions League match between Espérance Sportive de Tunis of Tunisia and Primiero Agosto of Angola. A suspension was handed down in November 2018 but lifted by FIFA in January 2019.
