Egyptian FA claims players subjected to racism and attacks; Sadio Mane scores winning penalty in shootout; Mohamed Salah misses spot-kick; Angry Nigeria fans storm pitch after defeat; Zambian FA confirm doctor died while on duty at Nigeria-Ghana match
Wednesday 30 March 2022 18:35, UK
The Egyptian FA says its players - and Mohamed Salah in particular - were the subject of racist abuse from Senegal fans during their World Cup play-off game.
It also claims Senegalese fans threw bottles and rocks at players during the warm-ups and attacked the team bus as it approached the stadium. The Egyptian FA posted pictures of the incidents to its official Instagram account.
Liverpool forward Sadio Mane slotted the decisive spot-kick in the penalty shoot-out to send Senegal to the World Cup finals at Egypt's expense.
A statement from the Egypt FA said: "The Egypt national team have been exposed to racism with offensive signs in the stands against the Egyptian players in general, and Mohamed Salah in particular.
"The crowd also intimidated the players by throwing bottles and rocks on them during the warm-up.
"The Egyptian group's busses have also been exposed to assaults that led to broken windows and injuries; filed with pictures and videos as proof in the complaint submitted."
A FIFA spokesperson told Sky Sports News: "FIFA is currently in the process of analysing the official match reports of the FIFA World Cup qualifier match between Senegal and Egypt.
"The relevant information included in the match reports will be evaluated by the competent disciplinary bodies before deciding on the next steps to be taken."
There was further controversy during the game as it appeared home fans shone lasers in the eyes of Egyptian players as they prepared to take penalties.
As Salah waited to take his spot-kick, lasers could be seen shining on his face and videos on social media appeared to show that it was home fans with the lasers. Salah missed his penalty - blazing his kick over the bar.
Mane's spot-kick concluded a dramatic second leg in Diamniadio after Hamdi Fathi's fourth-minute own goal hauled the hosts level following Egypt's 1-0 win in Cairo on Friday night.
The result was a repeat of the Africa Cup of Nations final two months ago when Mane again scored the winning penalty.
Senegal dominated most of the proceedings and Egypt were indebted to goalkeeper Mohamed El Shenawy, who produced a series of stunning saves to deny Pape Abdou Cisse and Ismaila Sarr in extra time.
"I was not worried about how they'll manage the game mentally. We have guys who have won the Champions League," said winning coach Aliou Cisse.
Thomas Partey's early goal saw Ghana also qualify for the finals after a 1-1 draw with Nigeria, which proved enough to send the Ghanaians through on the away goals rule. But there were ugly scenes after the match as videos on social media appeared to show Nigerian fans storming the pitch at full-time and breaking stadium seats, forcing police to use tear gas to disperse crowds.
On Wednesday, the Football Association of Zambia confirmed the death of CAF and FIFA medical officer Dr Joseph Kabungo during the game in Abuja. And it was later confirmed by FIFA that the cause of Dr Kabungo's death was "a sudden cardiac arrest".
Zambian Kabungo was on duty for the match that saw disturbing scenes at the final whistle.
"FAZ Football joins the rest of the football family in mourning the late Dr Joseph Kabungo," the governing body's statement read.
"Dr Kabungo, a CAF/FIFA medical officer, was on duty in Abuja for the second leg final qualifying match between Nigeria and Ghana that ended 1-1.
"'We take note that it is too early to dwell into the nitty-gritty of the cause of his death but will wait for the full report from CAF and FIFA on what exactly transpired,' FAZ president Andrew Kamanga said.
"He was a dedicated and widely-loved member of our football community and his impact was vast, having also been part of the 2012 AFCON winning team. His death is a huge loss as Dr Kabungo was a friend and confidant to many generations of players and their families."
Also in action on Tuesday night were Cameroon, who won 2-1 in Algeria to take the game to extra-time after the first match had ended 1-0 to Algeria. However, the clash ended 2-2 on aggregate, meaning Cameroon qualified on the away-goals rule.
Elsewhere, Morocco thrashed DR Congo 4-1 at home to advance to the finals 5-2 on aggregate, while Tunisia played out a goalless draw at home to Mali to progress 1-0 on aggregate.
The draw for the World Cup finals takes place on Friday at 5pm.