Equatorial Guinea fined US$100,000 after violent scenes in their 3-0 semi-final defeat to Ghana

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) executive committee also announced that Equatorial Guinea, who stepped in to host the 2015 event, were being fined US$100,000 after violent scenes in their 3-0 semi-final defeat to Ghana

CAF meted out the fine to the Nations Cup hosts “for aggressive behaviour and being repeat offenders” for crowd trouble, said a confederation statement

Despite disturbances blamed on Equatorial Guinea fans in Thursday’s semi-final defeat to Ghana in Malabo, supporters will still be allowed into the country’s third-place playoff against Democratic Republic of Congo on Saturday Feb 07,2015

Saturday’s playoff is being held at the same 15,000-seater stadium in Malabo where Equatorial Guinea’s supporters pelted Ghanaian fans with plastic bottles and chairs on Thursday Feb 05,2015

The game was halted for over half an hour with Ghana eventually winning 3-0 to set up a final on Sunday with Ivory Coast in Bata.

As the missiles rained down, the 500 visiting Ghana fans poured onto the pitch and play was halted eight minutes from time as security officials battled to regain control. The Ghana Football Association (GFA) described the scene as a “war zone”.

After the match, the Ghanaian supporters were kept at the stadium for several hours while further chaos ensued outside the ground. Equatorial Guinea supporters broke street light poles and overturned vendors’ tables.

The Ghana team were escorted to Malabo airport for the short flight from the island city to Bata on the mainland.

Equatorial Guinea’s governing Democratic Party blamed the country’s “eternal enemies” for Thursday’s violence in Malabo. It hit out at “the acts of provocation designed to create the disorder… perpetrated by the eternal enemies and detractors of our people and by their agents who wanted to disturb the peace”.