Incidents at two quarterfinal games
Brawl at the Africa Cup: Association reacts
January 12, 2026 – 5:40 p.mReading time: 1 min.
There were violent riots at the Africa Cup of Nations match between Nigeria and Algeria. The African Football Association is reacting and now wants to deal with the incidents.
The African Football Confederation (CAF) has launched an investigation following riots at two Africa Cup of Nations quarter-finals. The incidents were particularly explosive after Nigeria’s 2-0 win against Algeria, when the referee had to be protected from angry members of the Algerian delegation and escorted off the field.
Video footage shows how referee Issa Sy was followed on the way to his dressing room. There were also clashes between media representatives in the mixed zone.
The CAF condemned the incidents “in the strongest possible terms” in a statement and stressed: “The CAF strongly condemns any inappropriate behavior during the matches, particularly those directed against the refereeing team or the match organisers.”
Incidents at the game between Cameroon and hosts Morocco on Friday in Rabat are also being investigated. What exactly happened after Morocco’s 2-0 win is not yet known.
The association has referred the matter to its disciplinary committee. “The CAF calls for appropriate action to be taken if the identified individuals are found guilty of any wrongdoing,” the association said.