15th October, 2012
Senegal president Macky Sall has apologised to the international football community for the unruly behaviour of local supporters at the Leopold Senghor Stadium in Dakar on Saturday during the return leg of the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations final qualifying round between Senegal and Ivory Coast.
The president said what happened was regrettable and has promised to open a speedy investigation.
He also congratulated the Ivorian team for their brilliance and wished them success at the forthcoming continental competition.
“I hereby apologise to the world of football, in the name of my country Senegal for what some local fans did at the stadium on Saturday,” Sall said.
“I was attending the Francophonie summit in Kinshasa, DR Congo, but had to take time out to watch the game because of my interest in football. But what I saw later in the game was awful. The Ivorian team played better than ours and deserved the victory. I hereby congratulate them.
“Investigations will be opened very soon and I would like to call on all Senegalese to desist from such acts of violence in the future. Saturday’s events might cause us severe sanctions from CAF,” he said.
Ivory Coast were leading 2-0 scored by skipper Didier Drogba when violence broke out, with supporters throwing missiles into the pitch and setting flags and newspapers ablaze.
The game was abandoned in the 76th minute with the Elephants declared as winners on aggregate of 6-2