The Star ­ Monday
Date: 02.02.2015
Page 47
Article size: 199 cm2
ColumnCM: 44.22
AVE: 77831.11
African credibility is at the
crossroads after Saturday
BATA, EQUATORIAL GUINEA
AFRICAN football sits at
sion evidence of the violent
yet another crossroad in its
attacks on Saturday for the
farcical and violent scenes in
Confederation of African
Football to come down hard
Saturday's quarter­finals at
on players.
search for credibility after
its showpiece event,
A dubious refereeing deci­
sion, followed by a violem
reaction from aggrieved Tu­
rn _i._n players, put a damper
on an African Nations Cup
tournament that has been
Attacks on referees are all
too commonplace in African
football but few culprits are
ever handed the kind of stiff
bans that would severe as a
deterrent to others.
Much of it is because of
hastily put together with
CAE's failure to properly
much success in a matter of
prosecute such attacks, insist­
ing on relying on the referee's
report when often times the
over just two months.
Equatorial Guinea stepped
officials are unaware of who
in just 64 days before kick
off as emergency hosts to res­ attacked them.
The niggling nature of
cue the tournament and their
national team, ranked 118th
in rhe world, have since
emerged as unlikely semi­
finalists after two successive
upset wins.
But soft penalties in both
their victory over neighbours
Gabon in the group phase
and Saturday's quarter­final
triumph over Tunisia take the
gloss of two upset results.
The penalty against Tunisia
in Bata came in stoppage
Saturday's game, which
included a spitting incident,
takes away the gloss off
near­heroic efforts by CAF
and the hosts to offer an
international standard of
playing facilities in a country
of sparse resources.
Oil­rich Equatorial Guinea,
where ostentatious displays
of wealth sit uncomfortably
alongside poverty, stepped
in to rescue the Nations Cup
time and forced the match
after Morocco were stripped
into extra time.
of the right to host it because
they sought a postponement
Although Javier Balboa
then scored a stunning free
for fears over the Ebola.
kick winner to put the small
central African through to
the last four, joyous home
celebrations were overshad­
owed by fighting between
the two teams and then an
attempt to attack the referee.
Several Tunisian players
chased him down the tunnel,
attempting to kick and punch
him as Seechurn Rajindr­
aprasd was hastily escorted
off the field by a phalanx of
riot­clad policemen.
The referee's report will
now prove crucial if there is
to be any serious sanction
but there was enough televi­
DODGY WIN: Javier Balboa of Equatorial Guinea celebrates
after scoring the second goal against Tunisia.
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