Africa Cup of Nations: FIFA president Sepp Blatter slams media coverage
Saturday 7 February 2015 23:12, UK
FIFA president Sepp Blatter has accused the media of dramatising the crowd violence during Thursday's African Nations Cup semi-final.
Ghana eventually beat Equatorial Guinea 3-0 but only after the match was delayed for 30 minutes because of projectiles being hurled from the crowd and supporters clashing outside the Nuevo Estadio de Malabo.
The Equatorial Guinea football federation - the tournament's hosts – were fined £65,600 and ordered to pay for the treatment of injured Ghana supporters, while the Confederation of African Football (CAF) said 36 Ghana fans were hurt after being attacked by home supporters, with 14 taken to hospital.
Blatter, standing for a fifth presidential term in May's elections, told the Guardian: "Good news is no news, bad news is news. We only talk about the bad. Football - which is such a good thing - let it live, leave it in peace, it's well organised, let them do it.
"I don't see the negative side of African football that the media presents. It's normal, we criticise what's good, never what's bad. The unhappy role of the media is to assume and to forecast.
"In the past, the government made a decision and the media passed it on. Today, we make decisions and the media have already presented it. We become slaves to the media who have already given an opinion.
"The media can play a role, must play a role, but they must play a role where the notions of respect and fair play are the basics. Today the world opens the newspapers, watches television, and sees only murders and killing. We never talk about princesses marrying any more."
CAF had announced a one-match suspended ground closure on Equatorial Guinea, to be applied had there been further trouble during Saturday's third-place play-off match against DR Congo.
However, the game passed without incident and DR Congo won on penalties following extra-time.
CAF president Issa Hayatou expressed similar sentiments to Blatter and added: "The press always dramatise, particularly the western press. The western media are simply here to perpetuate colonisation.
"When something bad happens in Europe, they say it's an error. When something happens in Africa, they begin talking about corruption."
The Ghana Football Association stated the semi-final was "like a warzone" with president Kwesi Nyantakyi saying he was astonished nobody was killed.
