AFCON Referee Who Twice Ended Match Early Claims He Could Have Died on the Pitch

AFCON Referee Who Twice Ended Match Early Claims He Could Have Died on the Pitch

Fred Kennedy
updated at April 12, 2023 at 7:55 PM
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  • Janny Sikazwe has finally opened up about the controversies that marred Tunisia's Group F clash with Mali
  • Sikazwe was the centre referee during the tie and sparked an angry confrontation from Tunisia after he ended the tie early twice
  • According to the match official, he was lucky not to have died on the pitch as he actually suffered a heart stroke

Janny Sikazwe, a Zambian referee who twice ended an Africa Cup of Nations match early in Cameroon has now claimed he could have died on the pitch.

Sikazwe made headlines during Tunisia's AFCON Group F fixture against Mali after he blew the full-time whistle before the match was over, sparking an angry brawl from the Tunisia set of players and coaching staff.

Referee Janny Sikazwe gestures during the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia group H match between Japan and Poland at Volgograd Arena on June 28, 2018 in Volgograd, Russia. (Photo by Matthew Ashton - AMA/Getty Images)
Janny Sikazwe has finally opened up about the controversies that marred Tunisia's Group F clash with Mali. Photo by Matthew Ashton.
Source: Getty Images

At the time, Tunisia were trailing 10-man Mali 1-0 in Limbe when the match official blew his whistle with five minutes left on the clock.

However, upon realising he had committed a blunder, Sikazwe restarted the match only to end it, once again, 13 seconds before time.

The mistake saw the Tunisian technical bench storm the pitch in protest, but Sikazwe held firm to his decision and needed security staff to whisky him away.

The match official has now opened up about the controversies that marred the fixture he officiated, with the Zambian claiming he could have died of heatstroke.

"The doctors told me my body was not cooling down. It would have been just a little time before [I would have gone] into a coma, and that would have been the end," Sikazwe divulged to BBC.
"I think God told me to end the match. He saved me," he added.

Salah sends Egypt to AFCON semis

Earlier, Sports Brief reported Mo Salah stepped up to inspire Egypt to the semi-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations.

The Liverpool ace scored once and set up another as the Pharaohs stunned Morocco 2-1 to reach the last four of the competition.

Egypt will now face off against hosts Cameroon for a chance to reach the final.

Burkina Faso and Senegal are scheduled to battle it out in the other semi.

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Fred Kennedy
Editor - Europe Team