Regragui-Mbemba Clash: Bounou Says DR Congo Captain was Provocative, Disrespectful

Fez – Morocco’s number one goalkeeper, Yassine Bounou, has spoken out about the heated exchange between Morocco’s coach Walid Regragui and DR Congo captain Chancel Mbemba during the final minutes of the AFCON match between the Atlas Lions and the Congolese national team.

The incident took place on January 21, when Morocco faced DR Congo in both teams’ second group game at the just concluded Africa Cup of Nations in Cote d’Ivoire.

“Youssef En-Nesyri told me that Mbemba has been uttering insults towards Regragui throughout the match,” the news outlet Africa Foot United quoted Bounou as declaring.

In his reported comments to the news outlet, the Atlas Lions keeper noted that the Congolese captain also allegedly encouraged his teammates to inflict injuries on Moroccan midfielder Azzedine Ounahi, who happens to be Mbemba’s teammate at French football club Olympique de Marseille.

“Chancel Mbemba was quite provocative and disrespectful during the game”, Bounou said.

“At the final whistle, everything cascaded to the edge of the pitch and into the locker rooms,” he added.

Following the controversial and much-publicized post-match altercation with the Atlas Lions coach, Mbemba told journalists that Regragui had insulted with racist slurs. But the Moroccan coach strongly denied making any racist comments.

With conflicting reports surrounding the event, the incident highlighted the palpable tensions on the ground during the CAN and shed light on the internal conflicts that can arise within national teams. Notably, Mbemba’s attitude raised questions about fair play and sporting ethics at the highest level of African competitions.

In the wake of the incident, the African Football Federation (CAF) suspended Walid Regragui for 4 games, but the Moroccan Royal Football Federation (FRMF) successfully appealed the decision and had the CAF discipline committee lift the ban.

The DR Congo-Morocco game ended in a 1-1 draw, and both teams went on to qualify for the AFCON round of 16 — with Morocco topping the group with 7 points while the Congolese placed second with 3 points.

But Morocco crashed out of the competition after a shock 2-0 defeat to South Africa in the round of 16, while DR Congo reached the semi-finals before losing 1-0 to hosts and eventual champions Cote d’Ivoire.