AFCON
Afcon MatchDay 4 highlights: Refereeing blunder, anthem confusion and security concerns
A major refereeing blunder, a Mauritania anthem gaffe and serious security concerns overshadowed Wednesday’s games at the African Cup of Nations in Cameroon.
The referee in charge of the Mali-Tunisia game caused chaos by twice blowing the final whistle too early, incensing coaches on the losing team and causing a lengthy debate about whether the match would have to be restarted.
Mali was ahead 1-0 when referee Janny Sikazwe of Zambia ended the game early in the western city of Limbe. But it was Tunisia that refused to come back out 30 minutes later when officials tried to restart the match, with the coach saying his players were already in their ice baths by then.
While the farcical scenes created more negative headlines for the tournament, there were more serious concerns away from the matches.
The Cameroon news agency reported that a gun battle between separatist rebels and government soldiers left two dead and five injured in Buea, a city 20 kilometers (12 miles) from Limbe and where the Mali squad is based. “Heavily armed” rebels fired guns indiscriminately near a training stadium used by the Mali squad, the Cameroon news agency said.
The fighting was a stark reminder that Cameroon’s African Cup is not just unfolding under the shadow of the coronavirus, but also during a far less publicized but violent rebellion playing out in the western part of the country. The fighting is precariously close to where Group F teams Mali, Tunisia, Mauritania and Gambia will operate.
And if that wasn’t enough problems to contend with on Day 4, there was more embarrassment in the next game as the wrong anthem was played three times for Mauritania ahead of their opening game against Gambia in Limbe.
Mauritania players looked on in bemusement, some shaking their heads, as two unsuccessful attempts were made to play the country’s national anthem before kick-off.
The stadium announcer said Mauritania would then sing it themselves. Instead, a third try was quickly cut short after the country’s old anthem was played once more.
The players eventually stood and applauded before the Gambian anthem rang out as planned.
There was one feel-good moment at least: Gambia’s Ablie Jallow sent a shot arrowing into the top corner from outside the penalty area to give his country a 1-0 victory in its first appearance at the continent’s soccer showpiece.
Max-Alain Gradel scored with an equally-good long range shot in the sixth minute to give 2015 champion Ivory Coast a 1-0 win over Equatorial Guinea in Wednesday’s last game. It meant nine of the first 12 games at the tournament have ended 1-0.
But there’s no doubt which incident was the talking point of the day.
With Mali leading Tunisia 1-0, referee Sikazwe first blew for full time after only 85 minutes. He seemed to realize his big blunder and restarted the game.
He then sent off Mali substitute El Bilal Toure in the 87th minute for a rash tackle _ also a questionable decision. But Sikazwe blew full time again about 20 seconds before the 90 minutes were up, according to the clock at the stadium and on TV broadcasts. About three minutes of added time had been expected.
The second early whistle infuriated Tunisia coach Mondher Kebaier and other members of the coaching staff. Kebaier ran to confront the referee while pointing angrily at his own watch and Sikazwe had to be escorted from the field by security officials. One of the match officials shoved a Tunisian official during the commotion, stoking the situation.
There were then suggestions that the game would be restarted and reports that organizers had burst into Mali’s post-game news conference and told coach Mohamed Magassouba that his players had to get back on the field to play another three minutes.
Officials gathered on the field about 30 minutes after the game ended and were seen in discussions. Mali players also came back out but Tunisia refused to re-start the game.
“The players were in their ice baths and then he (the referee) asked us to come back out,“ said Tunisia coach Kebaier. “In 30 years in this business I have never seen anything like it.”
There was no official word from the Confederation of African Football on any decisions made over the game and it appeared the 1-0 win for Mali would stand.
Sikazwe was temporarily suspended by CAF in 2018 following accusations of match-fixing for his performance in charge of an African club game. The Zambian was an official at the World Cup in Russia earlier that year and refereed two games there.
Ibrahima Kone scored from the penalty spot for Mali’s goal after a handball by Ellyes Skhiri. Tunisia was awarded a late penalty, also for handball and after a video review by Sikazwe. Tunisia captain Wahbi Khazri had his powerful penalty saved. Mali held on with 10 men after Toure’s red card, although not for as long as they should have had to with Sikazwe ending it early.
The violence in Buea led to more questions over why organizers chose it as a suitable base for African Cup teams considering the volatile situation. Buea, the regional capital, has seen many deadly clashes because of an insurrection by English-speaking separatists. More than 3,000 people have been killed in the fighting across the western part of Cameroon since it erupted five years ago.
There was a heavy police and military presence outside the Limbe Stadium and a military helicopter hovered overhead during the Mali-Tunisia game.
-AFP
The African Football Confederation (CAF) and Royal Air Maroc (RAM) have sealed a historic strategic partnership that grants Morocco’s national airline the status of “Official Global Partner” for upcoming major African football competitions.
The agreement was signed Saturday morning in Casablanca, in the presence of Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) President Fouzi Lekjaâ.
This partnership encompasses several prestigious tournaments, including the CAF Africa Cup of Nations Morocco (AFCON) 2025 (December 21, 2025 – January 18, 2026) and CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations Morocco (WAFCON) 2024 (July 5-26, 2025).
The agreement also covers CAF U-17 Africa Cup of Nations 2025, CAF U-20 Africa Cup of Nations 2025, CAF Champions League 2024/2025 Finals, CAF Confederation Cup 2024/2025 Finals, and the CAF Women’s Champions League 2025.
CAF President Patrice Motsepe voiced enthusiasm about the collaboration.
“We are excited about the partnership between CAF and Royal Air Maroc, a world-class airline that will provide comfort and fly NationalTeams participating in the CAF competitions,” he said.
“We are confident that the CAF Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025 will be the most successful AFCON in the history of this competition.”
The agreement strengthens RAM’s footprint across Africa and globally, solidifying its role as a strategic gateway between Africa and the rest of the world. It also aligns with Morocco’s emergence as an international sports hub, with the country preparing to host AFCON 2025 and co-host the FIFA World Cup 2030.
RAM’s Chairman and CEO Hamid Addou stated: “This historic partnership with CAF aligns fully with our strategic vision as an airline deeply rooted in Africa and committed to its development.”
“Royal Air Maroc doesn’t just connect destinations; it builds bridges between cultures and passions. By supporting the continent’s biggest football competitions, we reaffirm our role as a facilitator of human and sporting exchanges,” he continued.
500,000 supporters expected
Beyond its partnership role, RAM will implement an exceptional operational system to meet increased demand during CAF competitions. The airline plans to welcome over 500,000 supporters for AFCON 2025.
“We believe we will surpass this figure by far,” revealed Addou. “We will be ready to accommodate these supporters across Royal Air Maroc’s entire network.”
The airline intends to double seat capacity from qualified countries already served by RAM, such as Dakar, Abidjan, Cairo, Tunis, Bamako, Lagos, and Douala.
RAM will also intensify flight frequencies from European cities with large African communities, including Paris, Brussels, Milan, London, Marseille, Lyon, Madrid, and Barcelona.
Additionally, the airline will establish a dedicated program for domestic air transport of national teams, shuttling them between their base camps and host cities.
This positioning establishes RAM as the primary connector between Africa and Europe through its Casablanca hub. FRMF President Fouzi Lekjaâ noted that the contract “reinforces Royal Air Maroc’s first-rate leadership role in Africa.”
“Royal Air Maroc is no stranger to football,” Lekjaâ added. “It has always supported generations of our athletes and footballers here in Morocco.”
“With this expertise and experience, they will contribute significantly to making AFCON 2025 Morocco exceptional, a historic turning point in African football, cultural coexistence and African cultural exchange,” he concluded.
Addou stressed RAM’s commitment to African unity: “We are all extremely proud to be African, and in every corner of this vast and magnificent continent, we share the same ambition—to actively contribute to Africa’s development and influence.”
The RAM CEO concluded by inviting everyone to upcoming CAF calendar events: “We’ll see you very soon for the great moments ahead in the CAF calendar, particularly the Women’s AFCON starting in July and, of course, the men’s AFCON, which kicks off on December 25.”
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The presidents of the regional councils concerned by the hosting of the matches of the Africa Cup of Nations (Morocco-2025) unanimously affirmed that the implementation of infrastructure projects in anticipation of this continental event “is progressing at a sustained pace”, declaring themselves “fully mobilized” to crown with success the major sporting events scheduled in the Kingdom.
They specified, in statements to the press in Rabat following a meeting at the headquarters of the Ministry of the Interior devoted to the assessment of the progress of the construction and rehabilitation works of the stadiums, that major sports infrastructure projects are underway in the six host cities: Rabat, Casablanca, Tangier, Fez, Marrakech and Agadir.
The President of the Casablanca-Settat Regional Council, Abdellatif Maâzouz, announced that the projects planned for upcoming international sporting events, in particular the 2025 African Cup of Nations and the 2030 World Cup, “are proceeding under good conditions.”
The projects related to the organisation of the AFCON will be ready by next July at the latest, he assured, specifying that there is a clear vision regarding the preparations underway for the AFCON and the 2030 World Cup, both in terms of equipment and organisational arrangements related to human resources and animation.
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AFCON
‘Land of Football’ is ‘Kingdom of Light’ as Moroccan Tourism Office and Football Federation Strike Accord
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
Morocco’s football federation and tourism office have signed a groundbreaking agreement to establish the country as a major football and tourism destination leading to the milestone 2030 World Cup when the global football tournament clocks a century.
The Moroccan football body and the Tourism Office are building on the national team’s recent international success.
Though with just one success in the Africa Cup of Nations, Moroccan football soars higher than the rest in Africa and the Arab world at the World Cup.
Apart from being the only African and Arab country to have reached the World Cup semi-final stage, Morocco in the 1970 World Cup in Mexico became the first African team not to be defeated in a World Cup match when they forced Bulgaria to a 1-1 draw on 11 June.
Again, in Mexico, this time at the 1986 World Cup, Morocco became the first African team to top a group and cross the group stage.
They were just two minutes away from a major upset of West Germany in the round of 16 before Lothar Matthäus’ back-breaking goal.
The success of the football team and the tourism potential of Morocco have found a harmonious chord.
The Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) and the National Moroccan Tourism Office (ONMT) will work together under the banner “Morocco, Land of Football,” placing the sport at the heart of the country’s tourism strategy.
“More than an institutional partnership, this convention is a shared vision: that of a Morocco that shines through football and makes it a lever for promotion, pride and tourist attractiveness,” ONMT said in a statement released after the signing.
The timing of this collaboration is strategic, coming ahead of two major sporting events: the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) and the 2030 FIFA World Cup, which Morocco will co-host with Spain and Portugal.
The initiative builds on widespread public enthusiasm following the Atlas Lions’ historic World Cup performance in 2022.
Under the agreement, both organizations will implement an integrated communication strategy combining visibility campaigns, influence marketing, and joint promotional activities.
The initiative will mobilize iconic figures from Moroccan football to bring this vision to life, to showcase the country’s world-class sporting facilities, rich cultural heritage, and diverse tourist attractions.
ONMT has launched a major offensive at making Morocco, the ultimate tourism and business destination as the clock ticks down to the 35th Africa Cup of Nations holding in December.
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