January 22 – Already buffeted by allegations by some participants of poor organisation, stand-in Africa Cup of Nations hosts Equatorial Guinea have now been rocked by clashes between fans and police.
According to reports from the tournament, home fans threw stones and bottles outside the stadium in Bata, with police responding by firing smoke grenades.
The violence apparently involved hundreds of spectators as they were trying to get into the ground through a single turnstile before the match against Burkina Faso which ended 0-0.
Equatorial Guinea took over from Morocco as hosts at the 11th hour after the north African country pulled out amid fears over the spread of Ebola.
The replacement hosts have reportedly been plagued by organisational problems including lack of hotel rooms, poor training pitches and long queues for matches, some of which ironically have been caused by precautions being taken against Ebola such as fans being asked to wash their hands before being allowed into stadiums.
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