Mauritania Players Allege Ordeal and Intimidation During Equatorial Guinea Match
The Mauritanian national football team has spoken out about a harrowing experience during their recent 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying trip to Equatorial Guinea. Defender Bilal Sidibé gave a detailed and emotional account of what he described as a near-death ordeal in Malabo, highlighting severe mistreatment, intimidation, and alarming conditions surrounding the match.
According to Sidibé, the troubles began immediately upon arrival. “We waited for two hours at the airport without any guidance or official reception. Eventually, a man claiming to represent the Equatorial Guinean Football Federation took us to a military barracks rather than a hotel,” Sidibé said, describing the grim accommodation that fell far short of expectations.
The team’s troubles continued off the pitch. Sidibé recounted chaotic and hostile training conditions: “To get to training, we waited over an hour for the bus, which we had to share with the Equatorial Guinea women’s team. The pitch was muddy, and during training, we were pelted with stones and projectiles. Uniformed police insulted and threatened us, calling us terrorists.”
The atmosphere surrounding the match was reportedly even worse, with Sidibé alleging physical violence and direct threats. “Our federation president was assaulted. The goalkeeping coach was beaten by police officers, and our second goalkeeper was injured. The pitch was watered minutes before kick-off to disrupt our play, and death threats were made against our substitutes. This was not just poor treatment – it was barbarism. Equatorial Guinea must be banned from football for life. They are criminals,” he declared.
Sidibé also criticised the match referee, a Kenyan official, accusing him of bias: “He was a clown who accepted payment to butcher our team.”
Mauritaniefootball.com reports that in response to these allegations, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has launched an investigation to clarify the troubling events of the fixture.
The revelations cast a dark shadow over the qualifying campaign and raise serious concerns about the safety and fairness of the match environment for visiting teams in Equatorial Guinea.
