Saturday 7 February 2015 13:42, UK
Journalist Jonathan Wilson has questioned the decision of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to allow fans to attend the third-place play-off between the Democratic Republic of Congo and hosts Equatorial Guinea in the Africa Cup of Nations on Saturday.
During the semi-final between hosts Equatorial Guinea and Ghana; the visiting fans were pelted with objects and had to be escorted from the pitch by armed police, as did the team when they went to the changing room at half-time.
He told Sky Sports News HQ: “Strangely in a country where the police appearance is quite strong, as is evident on the street, there weren’t enough police in the stadium and they weren’t able to take control.
“I’m certainly surprised it’s not being played behind closed doors. Given it is just a third-place play-off I don’t think the demand for tickets will be that high. CAF could’ve made a statement that said: ‘You cannot act like this; this type of behaviour will not be allowed’.”
The CAF had to move the tournament to Equatorial Guinea after Morocco pulled out of hosting the competition amid concerns over the Ebola virus which has affected parts of the continent.
DR Congo defender Gabriel Zukuani has already questioned the logic of allowing spectators into the stadium after re-posting pictures on social media.
Wilson added: “Perhaps what we’re seeing is CAF being very grateful to Equatorial Guinea because when Morocco pulled out they were really in a fix. Guinea stepped in; they paid a lot of money, around £27 million ($40 million). So I wonder if CAF’s response was tempered by that.”
Guinea were fined £65,500 for the crowd trouble.
