AFCON clampdown after reporter 'danced naked' and ‘pitched battle’ in press box
The organisers of the Africa Cup of Nations have released an angry statement to condemn the behaviour of some journalists covering the tournament.
On the pitch, AFCON has produced some brilliant entertainment, with Nigeria and Democratic Republic of the Congo reaching the semi-finals. Mohamed Salah ’s Egypt and defending champions Senegal have all been knocked out, with drama aplenty.
But off the pitch some of the matches have been chaotic for the media reporting from the press box. A viral video posted on Twitter showed an Ivorian reporter with his shirt off wildly dancing after the home side beat Senegal in the last-16 on January 29.
That incident, plus others which involved scuffling reporters in the mixed zone, has prompted the Confederation of African Football to act. "There was someone dancing naked in the media tribune," a CAF official told reporters on Friday, as per ESPN. "We cannot have that."
A statement was then issued which read: "CAF has noted the escalating unbecoming and unprofessional behaviour of some ‘media practitioners’ in working spaces at the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Cote d’Ivoire 2023.
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“Today, CAF met with the local organising committee and police to discuss the situation and find workable solutions. CAF has engaged a number of Organisations representing journalists and raised serious concerns on the behaviour of some ‘journalists’ in media tribunes, media centres and mixed zones.
“While we understand that we are all football fans and are passionate about our national teams, journalists are expected to observe professional standards. Fans must not be in the media tribune – there are plenty of seats at the stadium for this.”
It went on to say that any journalist guilty of “wild celebrations” or a confrontation with a colleague would be kicked out of the stadium. It also threatened to revoke the accreditation of those who have been live streaming matches and reiterated its policy on the use of drones.
"Between pitched battles, attacks, invectives, it is a distressing spectacle that certain colleagues have been delivering to the world since the start of AFCON," the International Sports Press Association said in a statement.
"The media workspaces [gallery, mixed zone, conference room] have been transformed into a boxing ring, or even simply transformed into a dancefloor or performance zone hosted by media badge holders."
The tournament continues when Mali take on hosts Ivory Coast on Saturday afternoon, while Cape Verde play South Africa in the other quarter-final later on. The winner of Mali vs Ivory Coast will face DR Congo in the semi-final, while Nigeria awaits in the other match.
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