A violent fight broke out in the corridors of the Amadou Ahidjo stadium in Yaoundé on Sunday, January 31, after Egypt qualified against Morocco (2-1, ap) in the quarter-finals of the African Cup of Nations.
Sad outcome for the meeting between Egypt and Morocco, concluded in a more than stormy atmosphere, Sunday, January 31 in Yaoundé. Led by a great Mohamed Salah, the Pharaohs had just won their qualification for the semi-finals of the African Cup of Nations by defeating Vahid Halilhodzic’s team after extra time (2-1), when a fight broke out in the corridors of the Amadou Ahidjo stadium, as the players were heading to their respective locker rooms.
Moroccans did not appreciate the celebrations of Egyptians
The situation gave rise to surreal scenes, reported by L’Équipe. The sports daily explains that the tension would have increased following demonstrations of the joy of the Egyptian players considered too provocative by the Moroccans. Frustrated by this early elimination, they would not have appreciated certain mocking phrases launched against them by their executioners of the evening and would have let it be known.
This was followed by insults exchanged by the two camps and the desire for some to fight it out. Out of him, the fourth Egyptian goalkeeper Mahmoud Ahmed should even have been belted and tackled to the ground by his staff to prevent him from attacking Fouzi Lekjaa, the president of the Moroccan federation.
An attitude that led the player to have to go to the Moroccan locker room to apologize once the tension subsided.
A very choppy match
Before these slippages behind the scenes, the tension had already been palpable throughout the meeting, with many faults committed. In total, the referee punished the Egyptians thirty times against eighteen whistles against the Atlas Lions.
The situation did not go far from degenerating several times on the pitch, notably in the 75th minute when a general fight broke out. An incandescent atmosphere fueled by the behavior of the Egyptian bench, particularly virulent in challenging decisions and putting pressure on the refereeing body
The coaches of the two teams were also involved in the scuffles. RMC claims that Carlos Queiroz and Vahid Halilhodzic would have had a virulent clash in the corridors of the stadium due to the provocations of the Egyptian coach, without however coming to blows.
In the aftermath, the Moroccan coach decided not to attend the post-match press conference. A context far from ideal for Morocco, a month and a half before its qualifying play-off against the Democratic Republic of Congo for the 2022 World Cup.
