Zambian referee Janny Sikazwe, who stirred controversy during the Africa Cup of Nations, broke his silence revealing the reasons behind his strange decisions in the match between Tunisia and Mali in the first round of the tournament held in Cameroon. Sikazwe ended the match between Mali and Tunisia at 89:42 minutes, before the end of regular time, despite the expectation of stoppage time, leading to a strong objection from the Tunisian coaching staff and players. He also announced the end of the match at the 86th minute before realizing his mistake and resuming play.
This abrupt ending provoked anger from the Tunisian coaching staff, with head coach Mondher Kbaïr approaching the referee to point to his watch, indicating that the time had not yet concluded, but to no avail, as the officiating crew left the field under security escort.
After a few minutes in the players' locker rooms, one of the assistant referees returned, calling both teams back to the field to resume the game. While the Malian players returned, their Tunisian counterparts did not.
A CAF official justified the decision to reject Tunisia's protest against the premature ending of the game and confirmed Mali's victory by one goal. CAF stated: "After reviewing Tunisia's protest and reports from all match officials, the organizing committee decided to reject the Tunisian team's protest and maintain the match result of 1-0 in favor of Mali." The official explained to Agence France-Presse that "the match should have ended with three minutes remaining, but the Tunisian team did not return to the field, prompting the referee to conclude it."
In response to the criticism directed at him, Sikazwe stated that he was taken to the hospital due to suffering from heatstroke, indicating that he was "close to death." In an interview with Zambian media reported by Britain's Daily Star, Sikazwe said, "If I had not acted the way I did in the match, I would have been dead." He added: "I was lucky not to have slipped into a coma. The outcome could have been completely different. Doctors told me my body had not cooled down. A short time separated me from death."
He continued, stating, "God inspired me to end the match. He saved me, and I made the decision." Regarding the match conditions, the Zambian referee explained: "The weather in Limbe, where the Tunisia vs. Mali match took place, was hot and excessively humid. I was drinking water, but I didn't feel quenched. Everything I wore was hot, including the communication equipment. Suddenly, I could only hear a voice telling me to end the match. That decision saved me from death."
