Egyptian referee Mohamed Adel faced a barrage of protests from players of the Malian national team after a match against Ivory Coast, which ended in a nail-biting 2-1 victory for the latter in the quarter-finals of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.
Djigui Nieni opened the scoring for Mali with a goal in the 71st minute, before Simon Adingra secured the equalizer for Ivory Coast in the 90th minute.
In the dying moments of the game, Omar Diakite scored the winning goal for “Les Éléphants” in the 120th minute, the last minute of extra time.
Mohamed Adel awarded a penalty to Mali and sent off two Ivory Coast players in a match that witnessed high tension and excitement.
Following the final whistle, Malian players confronted Mohamed Adel, claiming that the Egyptian referee had been biased against them and prematurely ended the match before they could take a corner kick they had earned.
Malian player Hamary Traoré engaged in a heated altercation with the Egyptian referee, culminating in a physical scuffle, an unsightly scene not befitting a major continental championship.
In response, Adel decided to show Traoré a red card.
Ivory Coast, the hosts, have now secured a spot in the semi-finals, setting up a clash with the Democratic Republic of Congo, who advanced after eliminating Guinea.
“Les Éléphants” reached the quarter-finals by narrowly qualifying as one of the best third-placed teams from the group stage, and they ousted the defending champions, Senegal, in the Round of 16 through a penalty shootout.
