Wright is right but...

Africa’s finest talent converged in Cameroon early this month for what is supposed to be the continent’s biggest football jamboree. The festival has got off to an underwhelming start with sparse crowds on the terraces to go with languid displays on the pitch. On Wednesday, Zambian referee, Janny Sikwaze laced the mediocrity with one of the most controversial officiating seen in recent years.

He prematurely ended the match between Tunisia and Mali, re-started the game and again blew the whistle before the 90 minutes, scoring one of the quickest and most embarrassing hattrick of blunders. The flash-point provided cannon fodder for the ever present AFCON critics and pessimists. At least the Sikwaze incident gave fans the first real talking point of a sleep-inducing tournament that has failed to rise to the occasion thus far. It, however, does not mean such gaffes are limited to Africa as referees across the world have their silly moments.