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Morocco’s head coach Vahid Halilhodzic’s press conference was subjected to heated debate after one of the organizers asked both journalists and participants to speak in English and/or French only.
This incident happened after Morocco’s football team goalkeeper Yassine Bounou answered the press in Darija, the Moroccan Arabic dialect. One of the organizers then intervened, asking all participants not to speak in any language other than English or French, pointing out that Arabic translators were not available at the press conference.
Reacting to the request, Bounou refused to change his language. He pointed out that “this is your problem, not mine,” addressing the organizing committee.
This is another incident in a growing list of scandals shaking this year’s Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON). January 12 games featured their share of bizarre and troublesome scenes, illustrating the poor organization by both the Cameroonian football federation and the African Football Confederation (CAF).
Zambian referee Janny Sikazwe, who officiated the game between Tunisia and Mali on January 12, mistakenly blew the final whistle at minute 85, this was five minutes before the end of the correct time. With objections from Tunisia’s staff, the referee decided to play again.
Only after 4 minutes of play, the referee once again declared the match over at the 89th minute, a minute before the proper time. The Tunisians furiously protested once again, rightly pointing out that not only was the official time not over, but that the game should have had at least seen 5 or 6 minutes of additional time.
Less than an hour after this incident, more controversy sparked in the Mauritania-Gambia game as the organizing committee twice played the wrong national anthem for Mauritania.
This left the Mauritania players with no choice but to sing the national anthem without the accompanying music.
Before AFCON’s official kick-off, several reports questioned Cameroon’s readiness to host this important tournament, especially amid the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. Yet, Cameronian Football Federation President Samuel Eto’o declined these allegations, indicating that his country is fully prepared to host this prestigious competition.
