NO MORE FREEBIES!!

Story written by Patrick Kamanga

NO MORE FREEBIES!

The irate Equito Guinean mob throws objects at a helicopter

African football witnessed its lowest moment when the second semi-final game between host country, the Equitorial Guinea and Ghana descended into ugly scenes and had to be stopped when the home fans were unable to neither contain their anger nor come to terms with the carnage that was unraveling in front of their eyes. Ghana’s Black Stars dismantled them for three, in a largely one sided affair.

A Ghanian player takes cover

What remains to be seen is what punitive measures continental football body, CAF, is going to take to ensure such scenes are not witnessed in the future.

CAF came under the spotlight after another controversial quarter-final tie between the hosts and Tunisia which likewise ended in ugly scenes as the North Africans felt hard done by extremely poor and blatantly biased officiating by the match referee from Mauritius, Rajindraparsad Seechurn who has since been banned for six months. The Tunisians had a few reasons to want to skin the ref alive, who had to be escorted by a security cordon after the game. The Tunisians on their part have had a fine of $50,000 slapped on their faces for violent conduct of their players plus an order to furnish CAF with a written apology from the Tunisian Football Federation for unsubstantiated and unsavory allegations made or else face harsher sanctions.

Feeling the heat and caught between a rock and a hard place, Hayatou in a catch 22!

It must be hard being Issa Hayatou right now! He is in a quandary!  A real conundrum indeed because as the head of CAF, Hayatou must appear to be fair and impartial, which if he does would require a very severe penalty upon the perpetrators, his best buddies the Equitorial Guinea!

By refusing to budge when designated hosts Morocco asked for more time and even guidance from the World Health Organization in regards to the Ebola virus epidemic, he dug himself a hole. The epidemic  which was raging in three West African countries, then still at its heights with one of AFCON participants Guinea thick in the mix, it’s hard not see Morocco’s point. With the tournament in danger of cancellation for lack of a host, the Gulf Kingdom of Qatar was in fact lined up as a measure of last resort. 

Ghanian fans take cover

Now enter tournament saviours, the Equitorial Guinea. What a relief that must have been, it must have felt like finding a secluded private corner away from a crowded street, to relieve a nagging butt itch in the middle of the sweltering January heat!

Anyway to cut a long story short, it’s hard not to see where the allegations of bias have their origins from.
Knowing how important their intervention at saving the tournament was, the Equito-guineans have been acting like the continent owes them or better even, they own Hayatou!

Even the demeanor of the Equito-guinean players during this encounter against Ghana oozed of arrogance and a sense of entitlement. Sensing the overwhelming task of overcoming a formidable opponent, they resorted to feigning injuries and other unsportmanly behavior. They constantly pressurized the Gabonese match referee on numerous occasions, expecting favours as well as leniency, obviously expecting a penalty here or a red card there; then a hop and skip, they are in the final. 

The image Equito-Guineans were hoping to savor, a dream AFCON triumph

Its been far too easy a ride with free access to games courtesy of their President Teodora Obiang, throw in the sense of being indebted to plus the two previous games that went their way due to soft penalties then, baaammm! they find themselves in the semi-finals!! 
With all this in mind, it’s easy to see why the Equitorial Guinean football fans were expecting a free ride to the final game and perhaps another freebie, a shot at the ultimate prize, the AFCON!

As CAF and its chief are now finding out, when someone is too generous or overly kind to you, beware, there might be a catch laying in wait.