Refereeing farce leaves Tunisia seething and African football looking for answers

Mali’s 1-0 win over the North African team in Africa Cup of Nations Group F overshadowed by referee’s performance when match stopped after 85 minutes. (AFP)
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Updated 13 January 2022
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Refereeing farce leaves Tunisia seething and African football looking for answers

  • Mali’s 1-0 win over the North African team in Africa Cup of Nations Group F overshadowed by referee’s performance when match stopped after 85 minutes

The first three days of the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations had been anything but exciting, as is sometimes the case in tournament group stages. There had been nine goals in nine games, but with the games broadcast around the world to a wider audience than ever before, there was a distinct lack of excitement and drama.

Then came game number 10 between Tunisia and Mali in the Cameroonian city of Limbe, and a sudden explosion of drama that made headlines around the world — but not in a way that anyone would have wanted

The history books will show that Mali beat Tunisia 1-0 in Group F, but while it is common for a defeated team to have deserved more from a game, in this case it is true in a number of ways. Tunisia did not deserve what happened on Wednesday, but neither did Mali and neither did African football. 

As is often the case, complaints centered around the referee, but this was different.

Where to start with the performance of Janny Sikazwe? There were two controversial penalty decisions, one for each team, with Mali scoring from the spot and Tunisia failing to convert. And then came a controversial red card. That sometimes happens, but what came next does not. The Zambian official stopped the game after 85 minutes, blowing for full time.

Quickly realizing his error (some speculated that he had failed to stop his watch during the earlier water break), the game restarted, only for the whistle to sound before the 90 minutes were up.

Tunisia, pushing for the equalizer and expecting a good few minutes to be added on, were clearly incensed. Coach Mondher Kebaier and his assistants were quickly on the pitch to remonstrate with the referee, an experienced official who was in charge of two games at the 2018 World Cup.

Sikazwe was escorted off by security staff. The complaints continued. Mali coach Mohamed Magassouba had begun his post-match press conference when he was informed by breathless Confederation of African Football officials that the game would restart to play the additional minutes. 

Mali came out, but Tunisia refused.

“The players were taking ice baths for 35 minutes before they were called back out again,” Kebaier said.

“I’ve been coaching for a long time and never seen anything like it. Even the fourth official was preparing to lift the board and then the whistle was blown. The referee’s decision is inexplicable. I can’t understand how he reached it. We’ll see what comes of it.”

Tunisia want a replay, but that will not happen and the 1-0 scoreline is set to stand, leaving the Carthage Eagles with work to do against Mauritania, who beat Gambia in their first game 1-0, the ninth such scoreline from the opening 12 matches.

Given that only eight of the 24 teams in the group stage will be eliminated ahead of the second round, Tunisia, ranked 30 in the world, really should have no worries about progressing, though the top spot is going to be difficult.

Kebaier needs to use this farce to inspire his players to step up and make some different headlines that can help take the team to a first African title since 2004. They have to use their anger to drive them forward. 

However, there are bigger issues at play. While there is often too much focus on refereeing decisions to the detriment of the sport, there are certain basics that all expect to be met at all levels of the game.

Timekeeping usually becomes a problem when a referee adds on too much time (like the incredible 19 minutes given in the semifinal of the 2021 Arab Cup between Qatar and Algeria), but stopping a game before the 90 minutes are up is, as the Tunisia boss said, rare indeed.

There had been comments internationally before the game that the lack of action at the tournament had not been a great advert for African football.  This did not really matter. AFCON is not an advert for anything — it is the pinnacle of continental football, a competitive tournament fashioned for Africa and for African nations to try to win. If it is an exciting spectacle for the neutral then all well and good, but that is not the primary function.

But what happened between Tunisia and Mali is different. This was a poor advertisement for African football and the headlines around the world have not been kind. The words “farce” and “chaos” are everywhere as media leap on more evidence of African mismanagement and incompetence, while perhaps hinting at something worse. This comes at a time when there have been complaints from Africa that certain parts of the world fail to give enough respect to this tournament. What happened in Limbe will not help.

The expectation is that sooner or later, probably in the knockout stage, the action really will get going on the pitch and then attention will be drawn elsewhere. If everything from here on in goes smoothly then Mali-Tunisia will be a footnote in the events of January and February.

But something similar must not happen again for the sake of African football. From now on, it has to be about the beautiful game, even if it comes a little too late for Tunisia.


PSG to curb political slogans in wake of ‘Free Palestine’ banner

Updated 10 sec ago
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PSG to curb political slogans in wake of ‘Free Palestine’ banner

PSG promised to “guarantee the absence of political messages” in the stands
“The club was not aware of the plan to display such a message“

PARIS: Paris Saint-Germain say they will make sure there is no repeat of a midweek unfurling by fans of a banner proclaiming “Free Palestine.”
The huge banner covered an entire section of the stadium at the Parc des Princes Wednesday night ahead of PSG’s defeat at the hands of Atletico Madrid.
As well as the slogan “Free Palestine,” the banner showed a bloodstained Palestinian flag, a gesticulating man with a keffiyeh scarf covering all his face except his eyes, the Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem and a young boy wrapped in the Lebanese flag.
On Friday, after a meeting with the French football federation and government officials, PSG promised to “guarantee the absence of political messages” in the stands.
“A frank and constructive dialogue made it possible to identify solutions that PSG is committed to putting in place from the next match at the Parc des Princes,” a government spokesperson told AFP.
The banner, which was unfurled by the Paris Ultras Collective (CUP) hard-core fan group, was shown above another slogan which read: “War on the pitch but peace in the world.”
“The club was not aware of the plan to display such a message,” PSG said in a statement Wednesday evening.

Al-Hilal win again to pile pressure on Gerrard at Al-Ettifaq

Updated 17 min 9 sec ago
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Al-Hilal win again to pile pressure on Gerrard at Al-Ettifaq

  • Three fine goals from Aleksandar Mitrovic, Malcom and Mohammed Al-Qahtani did the damage

RIYADH: Al-Hilal returned to the top of the Saudi Pro League on Friday, defeating Ettifaq 3-1 to rack up the pressure on under-fire coach Steven Gerrard.

Three fine goals from Aleksandar Mitrovic, Malcom and Mohammed Al-Qahtani did the damage as the champions moved a point clear of Al-Ittihad, who won 2–0 at Al-Orubah on Thursday. 

The loss means that Ettifaq, who started the season with three straight wins, have taken just one point from the last six games in the league. It may mean a nervous international break for Gerrard, though the Liverpool legend will know that this was a battling performance from his players, who just did not quite have the quality when needed.

While Ettifaq tried to keep it tight at the back, it was not all one-way traffic. Moussa Dembele had a couple of opportunities when the ball simply wouldn’t fall for him and Karl Toko-Ekambi shot just over from the left side, though it could have been a mishit cross.

All know, however, that you have to be ruthless and clinical when playing the 19-time Saudi champions as wastefulness is almost always punished. It took the Blues some time to get going but they started to look ominous as half-time approached.

Just before the break, Al-Hilal should have taken the lead. This season Mitrovic has been lethal inside the area and the league’s leading scorer was picked out in space near the penalty spot; the stadium held its breath but former Fulham teammate Marek Rodak got his foot to the low shot and Malcom fired the rebound wide.

Mitrovic didn’t miss in added time. Renan Lodi picked up possession on the left and the Brazilian then bent a beautiful low cross behind the Ettifaq defense and Mitrovic could not miss from inside the six-yard box for his 11th of the season.

Ettifaq were still very much in the game and ten minutes after the restart, Toko-Ekambi stretched for a low cross, and while the Cameroonian did make contact and forced a good save from Yassine Bounou, it was a great chance.

The easterners thought they were going to regret that as Mitrovic had the ball in the net once more but his close-range header was ruled out for offside. There was a lengthy VAR review but it only confirmed the referee’s original decision.

The second goal did come eventually, and when it did — in the 81st minute — it was one to remember, for the home fans at least. Malcolm was running in from the left side of the area when he was found by a smart backheel from Abdullah Al-Hamdan. The Brazilian then took the ball past the goalkeeper with his first touch and then rolled the ball home.

It seemed that there was no coming back from that — Hilal are not a team that gives up two-goal leads — but as injury time started, Ettifaq were handed a lifeline in the shape of a penalty, and up stepped Vitinho to place the ball into the bottom corner.

Unfortunately for the visitors, it served just to wake up the hosts, who quickly restored their two-goal lead, though Gerrard angrily told officials that Mitrovic had committed a foul in the build-up. The home fans enjoyed the goal, however, as Malcom fed Mohammed Al-Qahtani who turned 360 degrees to make a little space in the area and then fired a low shot home.

It got even worse for Ettifaq as Abdullah Radif was sent off for shoving Ali Al-Bulaihi in the neck. There really was no coming back from that.

All in all, it was a perfect evening’s work for Al-Hilal, even if Saudi Arabia coach Herve Renard will be a little concerned that star man Salem Al-Dawsari seemed to pick up an injury — with the trip to Australia for a vital World Cup qualifier next Thursday.

Elsewhere, Al-Ahli bounced back from their defeat in the Jeddah Derby to defeat Al-Raed 2-0.


Paul Waring shoots 61 in Abu Dhabi to set 36-hole record on European tour with 19-under par

Updated 08 November 2024
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Paul Waring shoots 61 in Abu Dhabi to set 36-hole record on European tour with 19-under par

  • Waring, who opened with a 64 on Thursday, made nine birdies and an eagle in a bogey-free round at Yas Links
  • Rory McIlroy made a triple bogey on No. 17 in his second successive 67

ABU DHABI: Paul Waring hit the shot of his life to complete a career-low 11-under 61 in the second round of the Abu Dhabi Championship on Friday and establish a five-stroke lead heading into the weekend of the European tour’s first playoff event.
The No. 229-ranked Englishman hit a draw with a 3-wood from about 260 yards to inside 4 feet at No. 18 and tapped in the birdie putt to move to 19-under par for the tournament.
The European tour confirmed to The Associated Press that it is the lowest 36-hole score to par in the tour’s history.
Waring, who opened with a 64 on Thursday, made nine birdies and an eagle in a bogey-free round at Yas Links and set a course record.
First-round leader Tommy Fleetwood of England (68), Johannes Veerman of the United States (67) and Danish players Niklas Norgaard (65) and Thorbjorn Olesen (67) were tied for second place on 14 under.
Rory McIlroy made a triple bogey on No. 17 in his second successive 67 and was nine strokes off the lead.
McIlroy can clinch a sixth Race to Dubai title with a win this week.


Slot not surprised by flying start at Liverpool

Updated 08 November 2024
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Slot not surprised by flying start at Liverpool

  • Slot appeared to have a tough ask to follow Jurgen Klopp
  • The Dutch coach has won 14 and drawn one of his 16 matches in charge

Liverpool: Arne Slot said he is not shocked by a stunning start to life in charge of Liverpool as the Reds have stormed to the top of the Premier League and Champions League.
The Dutch coach has won 14 and drawn one of his 16 matches in charge in all competitions as the holders have also progressed to the League Cup quarter-finals.
Slot appeared to have a tough ask to follow Jurgen Klopp.
But he has built on the solid foundations left by the German after Liverpool finished third in the Premier League behind Manchester City and Arsenal last season.
“Surprise isn’t the right word I’d use because I knew the quality of our team. But quality is one thing, to be consistent is a second thing,” said Slot at his pre-match press conference ahead of hosting Aston Villa on Saturday.
“From the moment I started working with them I saw how much energy they put in on a daily basis and that is I think the reason you can be consistent.”
Liverpool were inspired by the power of the Anfield crowd to come from behind to beat Brighton 2-1 last weekend to move two points ahead of City at the top of the Premier League.
A similar atmosphere helped blow Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen away 4-0 in the Champions League on Tuesday.
Slot is keen to keep his players’ feet on the ground but is happy for the fans to get excited about the possibility of just a second league title in 35 years.
“If the end result of them being excited is to bring the atmosphere of the second half against Brighton and the whole game against Leverkusen, I am hoping they will keep being excited because that atmosphere helped us a lot,” added the former Feyenoord boss.
Diogo Jota remains sidelined but should return after November’s international break.


Pakistan’s Muhammad Asif wins IBSF World Snooker Championship in Qatar

Updated 08 November 2024
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Pakistan’s Muhammad Asif wins IBSF World Snooker Championship in Qatar

  • Asif defeated Iran’s Ali Ghareghozlou 5-3 to clinch the title for 3rd time
  • PM Shehbaz Sharif promises to set up world-class facilities for sportsmen

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has congratulated Pakistani cueist Muhammad Asif for winning the International Billiards and Snooker Federation (IBSF) World Snooker Championship in Qatar for the third time, Pakistani state-run media reported on Thursday.
Asif defeated Iran’s Ali Ghareghozlou 5-3 to clinch the title in a thrilling final on Nov. 6. He outclassed Ali 5-3: 70-25, 7-87(84), 82(56)-8, 106(106)-08, 82-12, 43-91(58), 0-118 and 93(80)-4.
“Asif made the entire nation proud by winning the international championship for the third time,” PM Sharif was quoted as saying by the Radio Pakistan broadcaster. “The talented youth of Pakistan are highlighting the country’s name in the fields of sports.”
The IBSF, founded in 1971, is the governing body for billiards and snooker worldwide. It represents 85 member countries and is recognized by the World Confederation of Billiard Sports and the International Olympic Committee.
Asif, 42, first won the IBSF World Snooker Championship in 2012 and went on to win it again in 2019. His victory ties him with India’s Pankaj Advani who has also won the World Snooker Championship thrice.
The Pakistan prime minister said Asif’s family and coach also deserved recognition, adding that providing quality facilities to Pakistani players was top priority of his government.
“The government is making all possible efforts to provide international standard facilities to the players,” he added.