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.

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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.