On Saturday, Dino Melaye, a former senator representing Kogi west, uploaded a video on his social media platforms claiming Cameroonian fans had beaten up the country’s players after losing to Egypt at the just-concluded Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
Last week, the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon were defeated by Egypt in the semi-final of the AFCON at the Olembe Stadium in Yaounde.
Melaye posted the video on his Twitter page with over 2.8 million followers, with the caption, “Cameroon fans beating their players for losing to Egypt. Sad.” The post has been retweeted by 435 users with over 480 comments and 1,100 likes.
Cameroon fans beating up thier players for losing to Egypt. Sad pic.twitter.com/8uGwxQ3WCw
— Senator Dino Melaye. (SDM) (@_dinomelaye) February 5, 2022
The former senator also posted the video on his verified Instagram page with 2.2 million followers. The video has been viewed by over 370,000 people with over 2,792 comments.
On his Facebook page with over 1.5 million followers, the video has garnered over 253,000 views, 8,000 shares, 1,400 comments and 3,000 likes.
In the video uploaded by the former lawmaker, spectators invaded a football pitch while a handful of security officers struggled to keep them at bay. The footage also has a concluding part which shows a lady in Cameroon national team jersey trying to resuscitate a bleeding man on a stretcher.
The video has also been shared by blogs and other social media users claiming it was an aftermath of the match with Egypt.
Trixxng, a Nigerian blog, shared the video claiming Cameroon fans beat their players “to stupor” after the loss to the Pharaohs. The Genius Media, another blog, also posted the video.
https://twitter.com/NALOWA1/status/1489377881386016771?t=InsJVrvvXr10u3jR3ryIHA&s=19
IS THE VIDEO RELATED TO THE 2021 AFCON SEMI-FINAL GAME?
While the video indicates a crowd of unruly fans invading a football pitch, checks by TheCable showed that the incident did not happen at the Olembe stadium where the AFCON semi-final with Egypt was played.
Remi Sulola, TheCable’s sports reporter, who covered the game at Olembe, confirmed that no such thing happened after the match.
Below is a video of the Pharaohs celebrating their progression into the competition final peacefully at the stadium without any form of violence. Also, the pitch in the video is different from the Olembe stadium as shown in the video below.
Here is a video of the Egyptians celebrating peacefully after the triumph.
No violence on site. pic.twitter.com/Bw2CuvFJA9
— Shehu Idris (@Shehu_Idris95) February 6, 2022
However, TheCable gathered that the chaos actually happened in one of the AFCON group stage matches between Algeria and Ivory Coast at Japoma stadium, Douala, Cameroon.
The Indian Express had reported about the invasion of pitch by fans during the match between the two countries on January 20.
“Cameroon authorities said they had placed 250 extra police officers at the Japoma Stadium for Cameroon’s quarterfinal, while yellow-vested security officials formed a line between the crowd and the field during the game,” the newspaper reported.
“The added security was also because of an invasion of fans at a game at the Japoma Stadium earlier in the tournament between Algeria and Ivory Coast.”
Agence France-Presse (AFP), a leading global news agency, also reported how “many fans invaded the pitch in chaotic scenes of celebration at the end.”
Usher Komugisha, a sports journalist, shared a video of how the fans invaded the pitch during the match.
Scenes at the Japoma Stadium in Douala as fans invade the pitch to take photos with the players but security quickly steps in to disperse them.
The Ivorian and Algerian players are now safely back to the dressing rooms and the fans back to the stands. #AFCON2021 pic.twitter.com/3mxp5PJSIL
— Usher Komugisha (@UsherKomugisha) January 20, 2022
No casualty was reported during the pitch invasion at Douala as the video shared by Melaye showed. However, eight people were reported to have been killed and scored injured as a result of a stampede during a match between Cameroon and Comoros at Olembe stadium on January 24.
VERDICT
The video shared by Melaye claiming Cameroonian players beat their country’s football players after the match with Egypt is false.
