AFCON: Controversy galore as Mali beat Tunisia in Group F opener

There were scenes of pure chaos at the Limbe Stadium after referee Janny Sikwaze blew for full-time in the 85th and 89th minute. 

The Africa Cup of Nations is no stranger to controversy and scenes of pure madness, but a handful of baffling decisions from the referee stole the show in an otherwise tepid game of football. 

Pitting the two heavy hitters against each other in a group of relative minnows, Mauritania and Gambia, this match presented an opportunity to potentially stake a claim for the top spot and, in theory, a more favourable Round of 16 draw. 

Despite being the lower-ranked of the two, Mali were very much on top early on, getting into some threatening areas without creating many clearcut chances. Kiki Kouyate came closest with a well-timed run into the box to meet a cross, but his header sailed over the bar. 

That was about as good as it got for a very uneventful first half, but the second half is where this tie will have undoubtedly written itself into AFCON folklore, but not for the right reasons.

Just two minutes into the second period, Mali were awarded a penalty for handball against Ellyes Skhiri. Upon first glance, it seemed harsh but the referee penalised the FC Koln player for his outstretched arm blocking a shot on goal despite Tunisia protests. Following the decision, Ibrahima Kone stepped up and fired the ball home to give Mali the lead. 

After the goal, Tunisia started to build pressure on their opponents, with 30-year-old Wahbi Khazri at the forefront of their attacks. The former Sunderland man went close with a dipping free-kick that was brilliantly saved by Ibrahim Mounkoro. 

The pressure eventually paid off and Tunisia were awarded a penalty of their own. Once again it was a handball, and once again it was an instance of the ball being blasted at the unfortunate opponent, in this case, Southampton’s Moussa Djenepo from close range.

This instance was arguably more contentious with the midfielder’s hand barely separated from the side of his body. However, in the name of consistency, this penalty was also awarded after a lengthy VAR review. 

Up stepped Tunisia’s talisman Khazri to take the subsequent penalty. Unlike his Malian counterpart, the forward was unsuccessful thanks to a remarkable save from Mounkoro.

Playing for TP Mazembe in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the 31-year-old shot-stopper was unfazed by the Saint-Étienne man, starting well behind the line to come and meet the strike within regulation. 

Succeeding this was perhaps some of the most controversial scenes ever in AFCON, and potential in any major international tournament.

With just 84 minutes on the clock, astoundingly the referee blew his whistle for full-time. Outrage erupted amongst those in Tunisia colours, whilst it appeared to be pure bamboozlement just about everywhere else.

Referee Janny Sikwaze was consulted by some officials and appeared to receive word of his error, before attempts to amend the faulty match watch situation. After some confusion and collusion, the game was eventually restarted. 

In the 87th minute, 20-year-old Malian substitute El-Bilal Toure was shown a red card just six minutes after coming on.

The Stade de Reims forward caught his opponent with the edge of his studs, although there was absolutely minimal contact made and his foot was no more than six inches off the ground. With the youngster distraught, and his teammates furious, the referee reviewed the decision with VAR, and initially, Sikwaze looked to overturn the decision, but in a rather clouded fashion, the decision was upheld. 

What followed sparked absolute bedlam at the Limbe Stadium. With around 15 seconds remaining in mandatory 90 minutes, the referee once again signalled for full-time. This came without a single second of stoppage time added on, despite injuries, VAR decisions and a red card throughout the half. The Tunisian coaching staff, led by manager Mondher Kebaier, surrounded the referee and were absolutely seething. 

Scenes quickly got ugly and security rapidly formed a perimeter around the Zambian referee. CAF officials rushed to the field to grab a hold of the situation with the Malians making a point to celebrate their victory, presumably to make it abundantly clear that as far as they know, the match had reached its conclusion.

Once again, confusion was the general emotion amongst spectators at the stadium and those watching around the world. However, the players and officials did eventually leave the field and the match was over, or so we thought. 

Approximately 15 minutes after the fracas, the Malian coaches were conducting their post-match press conference when CAF officials reportedly stormed in and informed Mohamed Magassouba that his team must return to the field and play out the remainder of the game.

This was met with absolute outrage, but quite astonishingly, we saw the Malian side return to the field of play, donning their kits once more. The players started something resembling a warm-up, and a congregation of CAF officials and refereeing staff emerged. 

It was initially set that the match would play out the remaining 15 seconds of normal time as well as an unconfirmed period of stoppage time.

The only difference would be that the fourth official would take charge of the remaining minutes, with the assigned referee Janny Sikwaze nowhere to be seen. Once again, there was utter bewilderment amongst everyone involved, and after some time, the Malian players were once again celebrating as the Tunisia players not returning.

Rumours have emerged that not returning to finish the remainder of the game was in protest against the officials from the Tunisian FA, who have made an official complaint to the CAF about the referee’s actions and the outcome.

There is potential for the referee to be cautioned but the Tunisians are wanting for the remaining minutes to be played at a later date, or perhaps even for the whole match to be replayed. There has been no official announcement at the permutations, if any, to come of this fiasco. 

Allegations of corruption have been thrown around, something that the CAF as a whole is not a stranger to, but perhaps more concerning, is that this is not the first time the Zambian referee has been amongst such controversy.

In 2018, Sikwaze was suspended for corruption allegations surrounding the CAF Champions League semi-final between Esperance de Tunis and Primero de Agosto. Perhaps somewhat ironically, in this instance, he was accused of awarding a controversial penalty to the Tunisian outfit. 

When Sikwaze initially blew for full-time in the 84th minute, it appeared to be an issue with his watch, so was the second and definitive final whistle down to negligence to fix the problem or something rather more sinister? 

One thing is for sure, this has put a huge dent in the reputation of the CAF and indeed the tournament as this will certainly not be the last we will hear of this. 

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