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| A spectator is carried off the pitch after trying to attack the referee |
MALABO, Feb 5 (Reuters) - Rioting spectators forced a
34-minute stoppage in the African Nations Cup semi-final and several people
were injured as Ghana eliminated hosts Equatorial Guinea with a 3-0 defeat on
Thursday.
The crowd spilling onto the field meant the match was halted
eight minutes from time as spectators sought sanctuary behind the goal after
home fans attacked Ghana supporters and rained objects down on their bench.
Security forces fired tear gas and used a helicopter to clear the crowd, almost emptying the stands before the game was finally concluded with the referee playing two more minutes before calling time.
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| Objects removed from the pitch by BBC reporter Piers Edwards |
A controversially awarded penalty converted by Jordan Ayew
in the 42nd minute, which initially sparked the violence, was followed by goals
from Mubarak Wakaso and Andre Ayew to ensure Ghana reached a record ninth final
where they will face the Ivory Coast.
However, the result was overshadowed after the violence left
several people -- including a Confederation of African Football (CAF) official,
a policeman and several spectators -- injured, CAF officials told Reuters.
Having stepped in as 11th hour hosts, Equatorial Guinea was
basking in the glow of widespread praise for putting on a tournament with two
months' notice.
Enthusiastic crowds at four venues across the former
Spanish-colony, now one of the richest countries in Africa following the
discovery of oil, added to a festive atmosphere.
But all that was undone at the Nuevo Estadio de Malabo as a
angry home fans brought the semi-final to an abrupt and ugly halt.
One spectator was seen tumbling from the stands as he fled
the teargas.
The stadium looked a mess afterwards, strewn with broken
plastic chairs, hundred of plastic water bottles and drinks cans that had been
hurled from the stands.
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| A police helicopter hovers over the stadium |
There was no immediate comment from CAF but the image of
African football was left badly tarnished as television pictures beamed the
ugly scenes to a worldwide audience.
By half-time riot police, called in from Angola for the
tournament, needed to make a tunnel with their plastic shields to protect the
Ghanaians from a volley of missiles and when an official took to microphone to
appeal for calm he was met with a volley of abuse and more objects.
The second half was briefly stopped as a linesman had to
flee infield to escape more objects being thrown at him.
When Ghana went 3-0 up in the 75th minute, home fans turned
on visiting supporters who fled through an open gate and onto the playing area,
seeking sanctuary behind the goal.
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| Equatorial Guinea players were also sprayed with water from the bottles thrown from the stands |
"It's now like a war zone," the Ghana Football
Association (GFA) tweeted, claiming "barbaric acts of vandalism" and
"unprovoked violent attacks" had taken place inside the stadium.
When play resumed, Ghana sealed a 3-0 win to reach Sunday's
final, where they will play Ivory Coast, who beat DR Congo 3-1 on Wednesday
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| Journalists on the field |
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