Janny Sikazwe: What Happened to the Zambian Ref Who Blew Full Time Whistle in 85th Minute at AFCON?

• Janny Sikazwe sparked criticism during the 2022 AFCON due to his erratic decisions
• The Zambian made bizarre decisions during an AFCON match pitting Mali and Tunisia
• Key among the decisions included twice ending the Group F match before time

Until the 2022 edition of the Africa Cup of Nations, Janny Sikazwe was a little-known match official.

Born in 1979 in Zambia, Sikazwe got his first big break in refereeing in 2008 when he was called up to officiate the COSAFA U20 Challenge Cup in South Africa.

From then on, the 44-year-old cemented his place as one of the most sought-after referees in Africa.

Sikazwe made his AFCON debut in 2015 when the tournament was hosted in Equatorial Guinea before he made his World Cup bow a year later in Japan.

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He went on to be involved in the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations in Gabon and the 2018 World Cup in Russia, which saw him become the first Zambian ref to officiate a game at the World Cup.

Sikazwe comes under scrutiny for controversial call

While referees often find themselves in tight situations with controversial calls, Sikazwe saw his credentials come under scrutiny during the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations.

At the time, Daily Star reports that the Zambian earned global prominence for the wrong reasons after he incorrectly blew the final whistle twice during a Group F match pitting Mali and Tunisia.

Sikazwe initially ended the match in the 85th minute before blundering again by blasting the full-time whistle 17 seconds earlier in the 89th.

He caused another stir after he announced the resumption of the match after 25 minutes of stopping to complete the final three minutes.

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However, the Tunisia camp refused to return to the pitch, with the controversy surrounding the officiating of the match prompting a probe.

According to The Standard, it later emerged that Sikazwe suffered a heatstroke during the fixture, with the match official also disclosing that the highly humid weather in Limbe occasioned his erratic officiating.

Where is Sikazwe?

A year after that controversial episode, Sikazwe was not selected to officiate the 2023 edition of the AFCON.

However, it was a surprise that he had been named among the referees at the 2022 World Cup.

After the global showpiece in Qatar, the Zambian announced he would walk away from the sport.

While many believed it had something to do with the criticism he had courted from his erratic refereeing, the 44-year-old quashed that narrative, disclosing that he was considering his future before the tournament.

He last officiated in January 2023 during a Zambian Super League clash between the Napsa Stars and the Red Arrows.

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AFCON 2023 produces more surprising results

Sports Brief recently reported on day three action of the 2023 AFCON.

Senegal began their title defence with a comprehensive 3-0 victory over 10-man Gambia.

Fellow African heavyweights Cameroon and Algeria weren’t so lucky, though, as they settled for draws in their group openers.