Tunisia vs Mali: Caf Makes Final Decision After Controversial Group F Game

• Tunisia lodged a formal complaint about the farce that was their game against Mali
• The game was controversially ended before 90 minutes by referee Janny Sikazwe
• The Confederation of African Football (Caf) has however dismissed the complaint without giving a reason
• Tunisia were chasing an equaliser in Wednesday’s Group F clash and eventually lost 1-0 to the vibrant Mali

Tunisia has been dealt a blow as the Confederation of African Football (Caf) dismissed a formal complaint lodged by the country’s FA following the chaotic AFCON clash against Mali on Wednesday, January 12.

In a statement, Caf said the AFCON organizing committee met on Thursday to discuss the incident and decided to toss out the complaint.

Caf, however, did not give a reason for dismissing Tunisia’s argument.

The governing body for African football also confirmed that the Group F clash between Tunisia and Mali ended in a 1-0 win for the Malians, despite the referee blowing for the final whistle before the 90-minute mark.

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The match official for that game, Janny Sikazwe was at the centre of controversy as he blew for full time when the game was at 85 minutes.

Amid protests from the Tunisia coaching staff, the ref allowed the game to go on but then blew for full time again 20 seconds before the 90th minute.

Players, particularly the Tunisians, expected a large chunk of additional time, especially because of two lengthy stoppages that had taken place in the second half.

Heat stroke

It was later revealed that Sikazwe was suffering from heatstroke and dehydration, and had to be rushed to hospital after the match.

The fourth official bizarrely took charge of the match after full time, with Mali’s press conference being interrupted on instructions that the match should be seen out till the end.

Mali made their way back to the pitch but the Tunisians were a no show, and the match was eventually settled as a 1-0 win for Mali.

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"The referee had sunstroke, which affected his decisions in the game," Caf refereeing official Essam Abdul Fattah told Egyptian media. "After the game, he needed to go hospital because the weather was so hot."

Temperatures have been soaring in Cameroon amid the Africa Cup of Nations, and a number of countries have blamed the weather conditions for their performances.

Algeria, after their unexpected 0-0 draw against Sierra Leone, blamed their performance on the heat.