Total confusion on African Cup qualification criterias

There were total confusion yesterday on calculating who should qualify to the quarter final after last group games finished. Gabon players were celebrating qualification to the QF, only when few moments later they found out that, in reality, they need to check out from the hotel and take the first plane home. Watch the Gabon players tears and shock

This means that the players and coach of Gabon might have thought even with 1-2 defeat, they are still okay and played for the draw, hoping Cameroon Tunisia game will continue with a 2-2 tie.

The players were not the only one who were confused,

 I was watching Alarabiya channel, and the two guests were high ranked professionals from the region:  Rabeh Madjer who scored the winning for Algeria against German in 1982 WC and Ahmad Alkas, a key player in Egypt 1990 WC team. They were not any less confused, and debating who should qualify and the clarity of the system.

I haven't seen that the qualification criterias is confusing, here is the tie-breaking criteria:

if two or more teams end the group stage with the same number of points, their ranking is determined by the following criteria:

1.points earned in the matches between the teams concerned;

2.goal difference in the matches between the teams concerned;

3.number of goals scored in the matches between the teams concerned;

4.goal difference in all group matches;

5.number of goals scored in all group matches;

6.fair play points system taking into account the number of yellow and red cards;

7.drawing of lots by the organising committee.

Now, the whole confusion came out of making this mini-group of three:
Zambia clearly will qualify. But, then, some people applied the same filtering criteria again (so Cameroon and Gabon in one group alone), where Gabon defeated Cameroon 1-0.  But the criteria does not allow for that.

Now, the whole issue, is why to apply this filtering criteria on a group of four, and don't apply it for a group of three??!!!!!!!!!

Seems even Alan Giresse, the French Coach of Gabon, who used to be French teammate of Michel Platini was confused himself, poor Gabon players.

Apart from all of that, Gabon, who rarely had a place between the bigs in Africa, introduced very interesting decent team to this cup, thumb up to them.