One of Zambia’s celebrated medical doctors has died after the Nigeria versus Ghana World Cup qualifying game on Tuesday night, when Nigerian fans started attacking Ghanaian players and staff on the field and caused a stampede.
It is not clear how Dr Joseph Kabungo died – there are some reports that he suffered a heart attack.
He was one of the medical personnel for the match in Abuja as Nigeria drew with their with their arch-rivals 1-1, leading to Ghana qualifying on the away goals rule.
Ugly scenes then ensued as angry Super Eagles fans peppered the opposite team with water bottles thrown from the stands as they left the pitch, with police reportedly using teargas to disperse the crowd.
The Nigerian authorities have yet to comment publicly on the incident.
The medic was a permanent fixture at major footballing events, including the most recent FIFA Arab Cup in Qatar and the Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon.
His unexpected death has left Zambia’s footballing fraternity in mourning.
“We extend our sincere condolences to Dr Kabungo’s family and the football family at large,” Zambia FA president Andrew Kamanga said in a statement confirming the death.
Zambian football legend Kalusha Bwalya, who was close friends with Mr Kabungo was in shock, telling the BBC he couldn’t believe the news.
Dr Kabungo was the national team medic when the southern African country lifted their historic Africa Cup of Nations trophy in 2012.
He was also part of the FIFA and Confederation of African Football (Caf) medical committees at the time of his death.
The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) could face sanctions from world governing body FIFA after crowd trouble marred the end of their 2022 World Cup play-off against Ghana.
Home fans reacted angrily after the Super Eagles were eliminated from qualifying on the away goals rule following a 1-1 draw in Abuja on Tuesday.
The Ghanaian players and staff were pelted with water bottles from the stands as they left the pitch at the Moshood Abiola Nation Stadium, and Nigeria supporters then invaded the pitch.
The crowd had overturned and damaged two dugouts before tear gas was used and police hit out at fans with batons.
FIFA told BBC Sport Africa it is analyzing official match reports, and will then decide if action will be taken against the NFF.
“The relevant information included in the match reports will be evaluated by the competent disciplinary bodies before deciding on the next steps to be taken,” a FIFA statement added.
Meanwhile, a doping officer on duty at the match died after suffering a suspected cardiac arrest after full-time.
Attempts to resuscitate Dr Joseph Kabungo failed, and the Zambian official was pronounced dead after arriving at a hospital in Abuja.
“We mourn the passing of our Caf [Confederation of African Football] and FIFA medical officer Dr Joseph Kabungo and we extend our sincere condolences to Dr Kabungo’s family and the football family at large,” Football Association of Zambia president Andrew Kamanga said.
“He was a dedicated and widely loved member of our football community and his impact was vast, having also been part of the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations winning team.”
An NFF statement said Dr Kabungo was found “gasping for breath near the dressing room of the Ghanaian team” while on his way to find a Ghana player for a doping test.
Fifa added its deepest condolences to Dr Kabungo’s family and loved ones, as well as to the Zambian football community.
Nigeria fans invaded the pitch after a 1-1 draw against Ghana saw them fail to qualify for the 2022 World CupSuper Eagles fans had been expecting their side to book a fourth successive appearance at the World Cup finals
Egypt have lodged an official complaint against Senegal in which they claim their team was subjected to racism and “terrorized” by home fans in Dakar.
Sadio Mane’s winning shootout penalty sealed Senegal’s World Cup place with his Liverpool team-mate Mohamed Salah among those to miss for Egypt.
Egypt captain Salah was one of several visiting players targeted by green laser pointers during the shootout.
It is also claimed the Egypt team bus was attacked, causing injuries.
In a statement, the Egyptian Football Association [EFA] said it had lodged a formal complaint against its Senegalese counterpart before the match, filing this with FIFA, the Confederation of African Football [CAF], the match observer and the security official.
“The Egyptian team was subjected to racism after the appearance of offensive banners in the stands aimed at the players, specifically Mohamed Salah,” the statement added.
“Moreover the Senegalese fans terrorized the Egyptian players by throwing bottles and stones at them during the warm-up, as well as attacking the Egyptian team bus, which caused glass shattering and some injuries, which was documented with pictures and videos attached to the complaint.”
The Egyptian Football Association claim their team bus was attacked and posted a picture of a cracked window on Instagram
The EFA shared images of the damage to the team bus on Instagram, along with images of the offensive banner directed at Salah.
Dakar’s new 50,000-seater Stade Me Abdoulaye Wade was filled to capacity as Senegal beat Egypt 1-0 to make the score 1-1 on aggregate after extra-time in the World Cup play-off match.
The Africa Cup of Nations champions once again got the better of Egypt in a shootout, six weeks on from their triumph in the Afcon final, winning 3-1 on penalties to secure a place at the Qatar tournament in November.
As Liverpool forward Salah stepped up to take his penalty, green lasers could be seen shining on his face before he fired his effort over the crossbar.
At full-time, the 29-year-old had to be escorted down the tunnel by security personnel as supporters threw objects from above.
FIFA’s disciplinary body is analyzing reports from the game before deciding on any next steps to be taken.
President of the Senegalese Federation, Augustin Senghor – who is also the vice-president of CAF – said he would await official reports on the incidents.
“From the stands, I didn’t pay attention to the projectiles thrown,” Senghor said. “About the lasers, if it happened this is a first in Senegal. But we know that in Cairo there were a lot of these and [they are used] often in specific countries. Senegal isn’t used to that.”
He added: “In my opinion, I didn’t see during this game something that could be considered as chauvinism because the Senegalese are known to be very welcoming.”
THIS JUST IN – Senator Susan Collins of Maine is the first Republican to indicate that she will vote in support for Ketanji Brown Jackson for the Supreme Court of the United States, reports the New York Times.
The SCOTUS candidate met on Tuesday with the senator from Maine and is said to have impressed her and “alleviated any concerns she may have had with her.”
Collins’ vote would enable president Biden to claim some sort of bi-partisan support for his first candidate for the highest court.
It is unclear whether other Republican senators would follow suit, but it is noteworthy that nine months ago, ,three Republican senators including Collins voted for Ketamji Brown Jackson to sit on the US Court of Appeals.
Senator also voted for Brown Jackson for the US Court of Appeals although he now indicates that he will not vote for her onto the Supreme Court.
Other Republican senators who could also vote for Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson includes Utah’s Mitt Romney and North Carolina’s Tom Tillis, who was the friendliest of the Republicans on the Judiciary Committee during her hearings.
The absence of any Republican vote would not have denied Ketanji Brown Jackson her ascension onto the Supreme Court because all fifty democratic senators would have voted for her against no votes from the Republicans, which would have needed the vote of Vice President Kamala Harris to break the tie in her role as President of the Senate
Ketanji Brown Jackson would be the first ever African American woman to serve on the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS)
POLICE have released the leader of the former ruling party in Burkina Faso who was briefly arrested for criticizing the conditions the ousted president is being held under, his People’s Movement for Progress (MPP) said Monday.
He was allowed to return home after spending the day at a police station in the capital where he was accused of staging a press conference last week ‘full of too much political activism,’ the party said in a statement.
‘If there are restrictions on the movement and activities of political parties it should brought to everyone’s attention,’ the party statement said.
Sakande, who was president of the National Assembly before the coup, had called for the immediate release of ex-president Roch Marc Christian Kaboré, claiming the conditions of his house arrest had been tightened to the extent that he was effectively being detained.
Prior to his removal in January, Kaboré had faced a wave of anger over a jihadist insurgency that has ravaged the impoverished West African country.
Under junta leader Lieutenant-Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba a transitional assembly took office in Ouagadougou last Tuesday.
The United Nations, African Union and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), have all called for Kaboré to be set free.
A CARVED mask from Central Africa, dating from the 19th century, was sold in France for 4.2 million euros ($4.6 million) on Saturday, despite Gabonese protesters in the auction house calling for the item’s ‘restitution’.
The rare wooden ‘Ngil’ mask, used in ceremonies by the Fang ethnic people of Gabon, smashed its estimate of 300,000-400,000 euros at the auction in the southern French city of Montpellier.
‘It’s a case of receiving stolen goods,’ a man describing himself as a member of the Gabonese community in Montpellier exclaimed from the back of the auction room, surrounded by half a dozen compatriots.
‘We’ll file a complaint. Our ancestors, my ancestors, from the Fang community, we will recover this object,’ the protester added, describing the mask as a ‘colonial ill-gotten gain.’
Auctioneer Jean-Christophe Giuseppi said the auction was ‘entirely legal,’ as far as he was aware.
Accompanied by security guards, the demonstrators left the auction hall calmly, but continued their protest against the sale of African works of art.
Saturday’s auction also included a Congolese chair which sold for 44,000 euros.
With added costs and fees the total paid by the successful bidder for the Fang mask was 5.25 million euros, close to a record for such an item.
In 2006 a similar Fang mask brought in 2.09 million euros at a Paris auction.
Kenya’s police have been accused by Amnesty International of unlawfully killing 167 people last year, including some of those arrested for violating Covid-19 restrictions.
The rights group alleged the force was also responsible for the forcible disappearance of 33 people in 2021.
In its report looking at events in 2021, Amnesty accused the police of using “excessive and sometimes lethal force to break up protests” and said many of the alleged perpetrators were not facing justice.
“Only 28 prosecutions were initiated against suspected perpetrators of unlawful killings and enforced disappearance,” the rights group said.
It highlighted several cases, including that of Alex Macharia Wanjiku, who was shot in Nairobi County when security services reportedly tried to disperse a protest against the Nairobi Metropolitan Services, which manages the city’s transport, health and development.
“Investigations into the incident by the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA), an independent civilian body, were not concluded by the end of the year [2021],” the report said.
Kenya’s police have not yet commented on Amnesty’s report.
The country’s president has previously apologised for alleged police “excesses” when enforcing Covid restrictions.
The East African nation’s police force has often been accused of brutality, but it says its officers are highly trained.
