Equatorial Guinea
have been fined £65,000 after their fans sparked a riot in the Africa Cup of
Nations semi-final against Ghana on Thursday.
Policemen
get ready to evacuate a tribune during the 2015 African Cup of Nations
semi-final football match between Equatorial Guinea and Ghana (AFP)
Ghana were closing in on a 3-0 win over hosts Equatorial
Guinea at the Estadio de Malabo on Thursday evening, when celebrating away fans
were forced to flee the stands after being pelted with bottles.
The host nation will be able to play their third-place
play-off match as usual, but have been warned that any further trouble will mean that they will have to play their
next match behind closed doors.
In addition to the $100,000 fine, Equatorial Guinea will
also have to pay all medical bills for anybody hurt at the match.
The Ghana Football Association's Twitter feed described the scene as being
"like a war zone" as a police helicopter hovered over the ground,
while the head of the Ghanaian FA feared supporters would be killed in the
violence that marred the second semi-final of the tournament.
Ghana FA president Kwesi Nyantakyi told the BBC World
Service on Friday: "We're lucky we haven't lost any lives, though people
have sustained injuries arising from objects thrown at them."
A horrifying array of items were picked off the pitch, with
a BBC reporter taking a picture of what appeared to be a small rock, half a
dining plate, and a jagged shard of mirror.
Nyantakyi told BBC World Service: "African football has
grown beyond this level and in the 21st century we expect to see more decency
in the behaviour of fans.
"A high-profile game of this nature should have
attracted police, intelligence officers and military.
"I couldn't have counted 50 policemen at the stadium,
the rest were from Angola, who were not familiar with the terrain, so they
didn't know how to handle the situation. So the Ghanaian fans were left at the
mercy of these violent fans."
The match was suspended for around half an hour as Ghana
supporters took refuge behind one of the goals, out of range of most missiles.
It eventually resumed and Ghana completed their victory, setting up a final
against Ivory Coast on Sunday.
Ghana furious
after semi-final crowd trouble
There were reports of tear gas being fired into the stands
in a bid to control the Equatorial Guinea fans, while home players also
attempted to quell the trouble by appealing for their supporters to calm down.
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