Saturday is expected to be quite eventful for CAF in this AFCON 2023. While Algeria lamented refereeing errors after the Burkina Faso match, Tunisia added fuel to the fire after their game against Mali. Through their delegation leader, Tunisia plans to file a complaint with Patrice Motsepe’s organization.
Even though the 34th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations has been proceeding smoothly since January 13th, with generally acceptable refereeing, two Maghreb countries are challenging the status quo within a few hours. As the competition enters only its second day of the group stage, the pressure is already mounting on these countries in unfavorable positions, blaming CAF referees for their poor performance. On Saturday, Algeria set the tone after their match against Burkina Faso by formally filing a petition to replay the CA 2023 match. A few hours later, Tunisia joined the fray.
Tunisia’s outrage
Facing Mali’s eagles in Group E, Tunisia missed an opportunity to rebound in the competition with a 1-1 draw. This result puts the Carthage Eagles in great peril after their opening defeat against the surprising Namibian team. Despite the generally acceptable performance of Ghanaian referee Daniel Nili Laryea, Tunisia feels aggrieved. After the match, Hussein Jenayah, the team’s delegation leader, unleashed his frustration before the media.
“The non-whistled penalty following a foul on Youssef Msakni in the box could have changed the course of the match, and we don’t know why the director didn’t provide any replay. How could this escape the on-field referee trio and the two VAR referees?” he exclaimed before announcing the recourse to CAF. “The referee deprived us of a penalty. We should file a complaint with CAF and ask the media and all parties to stand by us,” said the Tunisian.
This marks another complaint about the refereeing of AFCON 2023 within a few hours, which is not a good thing for the competition. As a reminder, the Tunisia-Mali match in the previous AFCON was also marked by a major scandal with the abrupt halt of the match in the 85th minute by Zambian referee Janny Sikazwe, making headlines worldwide. At that time, Tunisia, through Jenayah once again, filed a complaint with CAF. Today, it’s a new controversy for the Eagles’ clash.
Tunisia on the verge of elimination
While awaiting the next steps from the two North African countries and CAF’s response, the teams will need to intensify their efforts and efficiency on the field. It must be said that no human endeavor is perfect, and since the beginning of AFCON 2023, several incidents have been observed, including against the host country, without resorting to complaints and extravagant requests like those from Algeria. The pressure is intense before the third and final day of these group stage matches starting this Monday.
If Algeria keeps its chances of qualification before facing Mauritania next Tuesday, Tunisia, on the other hand, is at risk of a terrible disappointment. Against South Africa next Wednesday, they must win and await the result between Mali and Namibia. Before the start of AFCON 2023, the complexity of Group E with evenly matched teams was already noted. Namibia, an unexpected contender, created a sensation by defeating the Carthage Eagles and remains a credible candidate for the knockout stages.
The bitterness of the Maghreb countries clinging to incidents on the field is understandable.
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