Match between Mali and Tunisia ends in chaos after referee ended prematurely

(CNN) – The African Cup of Nations (AFCON) match between Tunisia and Mali ended in chaos on Wednesday after the referee prematurely whistled the end of the match.

Zambian referee Janny Sikazwe appeared to initially whistle regulation time in the 85th minute, before deciding to resume play. He then blew the end of the game again, this time seconds before the 90 minutes were up.

Tunisia’s staff and players were outraged and stormed onto the pitch to face Sikazwe.

“The referee blew his whistle in the 85th minute and in the 89th minute, it’s crazy,” Tunisia coach Mondher Kebaier told the AFCON website.

The match had already been controversial, as both teams were awarded a penalty. Ibrahima Koné scored a goal for Mali, while Tunisia missed it. Bilal Touré, from the Aguilas de Cartago, received a red card in the final stretch, and the referee decided to uphold his original decision despite being asked by the VAR to review it.

Despite the delays, no overtime was added.

Both teams ended up leaving the court, but the Malians returned later ready to play the last minutes.

However, Tunisia did not return to the pitch and Mali then left the pitch celebrating.

“It deprived us of concentration,” Kebaier added after Tunisia’s 1-0 defeat. “We did not want to restart the game because the players had already showered, they were already deconcentrated and demoralized by this horrible situation.”

The African Football Confederation, organizer of the tournament, did not immediately respond to CNN’s request for comment.

Mali’s victory (1-0) places it in first place in Group F.