CAN: Chancel Mbemba victim of racism after a scuffle at the end of the match between Morocco and the Democratic Republic of Congo

CAN: a scuffle broke out at the end of the Morocco-DRC match. XinHua – Han Xu

A scuffle broke out at the end of the African Cup of Nations match between Morocco and the Democratic Republic of Congo (1-1), Sunday, between players and members of each team, a slip-up deplored by the coach Moroccan Walid Regragui, involved.

Already palpable during the match, with sometimes particularly strong tackles from both sides, the tension rose another notch at the final whistle, when Regragui was entered the pitch of the Laurent-Pokou stadium in San-Pédro (Ivory Coast), to verbally attack Congolese defender Chancel Mbemba, while wanting to shake his hand.

Whereupon the two men were separated by several people and a melee then immediately formed in maximum confusion, with multiple fights.

"We did not give a good image, neither us nor the Congo"

The nerves were not really calmed upon returning to the locker room, since according to the images from a camera placed at the entrance to the corridor, we see in particular the ' #39;Moroccan striker Youssef En-Neysri tries to throw himself at Mbemba, before being held by the jersey by his goalkeeper and a member of the refereeing body.

At a press conference, Walid Regragui returned to these incidents with a desire to play down the drama and appeasement.

Chancel Mbemba in the jersey of Olympique de Marseille. EPA – GUILLAUME HORCAJUELO

"So it happens in football. I have a lot of respect for Mbemba. Maybe it was the adrenaline that made him respond like that. But there's no problem. (…) Afterwards, we had to remain much calmer. We did not give a good image, neither us nor the Congo, said the Moroccan coach.

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"On that note, we had to stay calm. This is the second match. Afterwards, perhaps with the heat, the tension was a little high among everyone. But this is not an example, and there is no problem between Mbemba and me or the team. We're moving forward, it's happened now, he assured.

Defender Chancel Mbemba was then the victim of a wave of racist comments on his Instagram account.

Held in check (1-1), Morocco, semi-finalist of the 2022 World Cup, nevertheless remains in a favorable position to reach the round of 16 of the CAN.