The whole world talked about Tunisia-Mali, the match in which the referee Janny Sikazwe whistled the end of the match in advance. And not once, but twice. But the number one of the African Cup whistles explains (perhaps) the mystery …
The first matches of the African Cup are not offering much from a show point of view. You often win … short-nosed, to put it to Allegri, and the match between Egypt and Nigeria, won by the Super Eagles 1-0, saw Salah’s team on the field with an abstruse 5-5-0, confirmed from the heatmap, with the Pharaohs who have practically never set foot in the opponent’s trocar. But certainly the whole world talked about Tunisia-Mali, the match in which the referee Janny Sikazwe whistled the end of the match in advance. And not once, but twice, first at minute 85 and then at fifteen seconds from ninetieth, when at least five minutes of recovery could have been expected.
INSOLATION – Between the protests of Tunisia, that the game has lost it, and the immediately viral scenes on social media, a question arises: what went through the whistle’s head? Considering his career, peppered with several scandals and some suspension, and leaving the camp with the police escort, perhaps you are allowed to think a little badly. But to (perhaps) put an end to this story is Essam Abdel-Fatah, the chief referee of the African Cup of Nations. From what he reports AS, the number one of the whistles explained that Sikazwe suffered from sunstroke during the match and lost concentration (together, obviously, with the sense of time). The malaise was strong enough to convince the race director to run to the hospital after the second final whistle.
ANGER – A plausible explanation. But will it be enough to convince spectators around the world and above all to extinguish the controversy? After all, this is a situation that would actually explain the haste with which the referee decided to end the match and also his absence in the excited moments when it was decided that the match could certainly not end at minute 85 and that at least the last ones five of the regular time had to be played. What is certain is that the Tunisians were furious, also because, having lost by measure, they can argue that the recovery could have changed everything, perhaps even allowing them a sensational overtaking in the Cesarini area. And an official statement from the head of referees will certainly not be enough to calm them down …
January 13, 2022 (change January 13, 2022 | 11:18)
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