There was fresh controversy and concern at the Africa Cup of Nations tournament yesterday, after the semi-final between Ghana and host nation Equatorial Guinea ended in a resounding 3-0 win for the visitors. There was trouble well before the final whistle, as play was stopped for half an hour as home fans rioted at the Malabo Stadium. Play eventually did resume to confirm Ghana's place in the final, but the repercussions are likely to be severe in the aftermath of the shocking scenes, that will have been witnessed across the globe by Football fans.
The BBC have been told by Ghana FA chief Kwesi Nyantakyi, that he feared for the supporters' lives as the crowd trouble erupted. He added that "people have sustained injuries arising from objects thrown at them." Others involved in the disturbances have called it as being like a "war zone". Indeed, the BBC's own coverage of the action had to be halted, as the crew feared for the danger they may be in, as fans approached their location in the stadium.
Police reacted with force in an attempt to curb the disturbances, using tear gas to disperse the crowd as the clearly agitated fans threw bottles and stones.
The Confederation of African Football have reacted swiftly by initially fining Equatorial Guinea a figure of $100,000 (around £65,000). CAF have also made it clear that the host side would have to play a game behind closed doors, should similar incidents occur in future. For the present and the current tournament, that allows the possibility for their home fans to attend the side's third-place match tomorrow, when DR Congo will be the opposition, although some expect that the match will resemble a game played behind closed doors anyway, should the fans stay away. The punishment to the host nation also extends to ensuring that they pay for the treatment of the fans who were injured during the skirmishes, believed to be around thirty-six people in total.
Equatorial Guinea were originally not expected to feature in the competition this year, as they failed to qualify. However, they stepped in as hosts, after Morocco stepped aside over health concerns relating to the Ebola epidemic that was prevalent in West Africa, with Morocco being evicted from the tournament as a consequence.
Ghana will meet the Ivory Coast in the final on Sunday, as the prestigious tournament heads to an intriguing if fraught conclusion.