2015 Africa Cup of Nations

2015 Africa Cup of Nations
Copa Africana de Naciones 2015
Campeonato Africano das Nações de 2015
Coupe d'Afrique des Nations 2015
AFCON 2015
CAN 2015
Tournament details
Host country Equatorial Guinea
Dates 17 January – 8 February
Teams 16 (from 1 confederation)
Venue(s) 4 (in 4 host cities)
Final positions
Champions  Ivory Coast (2nd title)
Runners-up  Ghana
Third place  DR Congo
Fourth place  Equatorial Guinea
Tournament statistics
Matches played 32
Goals scored 68 (2.13 per match)
Attendance 617,374 (19,293 per match)
Top scorer(s) Tunisia Ahmed Akaïchi
Ghana André Ayew
Equatorial Guinea Javier Balboa
Republic of the Congo Thievy Bifouma
Democratic Republic of the Congo Dieumerci Mbokani
(3 goals each)
Best player Ghana Christian Atsu
Best goalkeeper Ivory Coast Sylvain Gbohouo
Fair play award  DR Congo
Result of countries participating in the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations

  Champion
  Runner-up
  Third place
  Fourth place
  Quarter-finals
  Group stage

The 2015 Africa Cup of Nations, known as the Orange Africa Cup of Nations, Equatorial Guinea 2015 for sponsorship reasons, was the 30th staging of the Africa Cup of Nations, the international football championship of Africa. It was organized by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and was held from 17 January to 8 February 2015.[1][2]

The tournament was initially scheduled to be hosted by Morocco who later demanded postponement of the event because of the Ebola virus epidemic in West Africa;[3] subsequently Morocco was ruled out as a host country and replaced by Equatorial Guinea.[4]

The Ivory Coast won the tournament for their second Africa Cup of Nations title, defeating Ghana 9–8 in a penalty shoot-out after the final finished goalless following extra time. The DR Congo came third and the hosts Equatorial Guinea fourth, while defending champions Nigeria did not qualify.

Host selection

Bids

The following countries expressed an interest in hosting the tournament: Botswana,[5] Cameroon,[6] DR Congo,[7] Guinea,[8] Morocco,[9] South Africa,[10] Zambia,[11] and Zimbabwe.[12]

CAF received 3 bids before 30 September 2010, the deadline, to host either the 2015 or 2017 Africa Cup of Nations from DR Congo, Morocco and South Africa. All three bids were originally put on a shortlist.[13] CAF then began an inspection procedure, on November and December 2010, intending to visit each bidding country to view stadiums, infrastructure, and football interest. They inspected the DR Congo first.[14] Shortly after the inspection, DR Congo informed CAF that they would be withdrawing their bids for both the 2015 and 2017 Africa Cup of Nations tournaments.[15] Morocco was the next country to be inspected.[16] South Africa was inspected last.

Nation Last hosted
 Morocco 1988
 South Africa 1996[17]

On 29 January, during the 2011 CAF Super Cup, the CAF Board decided that Morocco would host the 2015 African Cup of Nations, while the 2017 edition would be held in South Africa.[18] The four Morocco host cities which were scheduled to host the tournament were Rabat, Marrakesh, Agadir and Tangier, as announced by the CAF Executive Committee on 23 September 2013.[19] Casablanca would serve as an alternative venue.[20]

Moroccan withdrawal

In October 2014, the government of Morocco requested a postponement of the tournament due to the Ebola virus epidemic in West Africa.[21] After the matter was discussed at the Executive Committee meeting on 2 November 2014, CAF decided to keep the date of the tournament, while also asking for a clarification from the Royal Moroccan Football Federation of whether they still wish to host the tournament.[22] On 8 November, Morocco failed to meet this deadline to confirm it would host the tournament.[23] Three days later CAF confirmed that Morocco would not host the tournament and a new host would be chosen from a list of countries which have expressed interest. Morocco, who had previously qualified as hosts, were disqualified from participation at the tournament.[3][24] CAF confirmed legal action against Morocco due to a contract signed in April 2014.[25] Moroccan Sports Minister Mohamed Ouzzine said that CAF had falsely accused his country of "refusing" to host the tournament when it wanted it postponed, and justified the decision by citing that the World Health Organization gives every country the right to protect its citizens.[25] On 6 February 2015, CAF announced that Morocco had been banned from the next two AFCON tournaments, fined 1 million US dollars, as well as demanding 9 million US dollars in compensation.[26][27] However, the ban was overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, meaning Morocco may enter the tournaments.[28]

Egypt, Ghana, South Africa and Sudan all declined to take over as hosts.[29] Angola, the hosts of the 2010 edition, were spoken of as a potential replacement due to existing stadia and infrastructure in the country. However, a member of the Angolan Football Federation stated that it could not be possible as the new government budget did not include any tournaments.[25]

On 14 November 2014, CAF announced that Equatorial Guinea would host the tournament.[4]

Qualification

  Qualified
  Failed to qualify
  Withdrew, disqualified or did not enter
  Not part of CAF

Qualification for the tournament were made up of four stages, three preliminary rounds and a final group stage. The 21 best-ranked teams were given a bye to the group stage, while the next 26 teams began play in the second preliminary round, and four lowest ranked teams started at the first round. The three preliminary rounds were a series of playoffs, with the winners advancing.

51 nations entered the tournament (excluding initial hosts Morocco). It was the competitive debut of South Sudan. Djibouti and Somalia declined to enter.

Morocco would have automatically qualified as hosts; however, after their refusal to host, they were expelled from the tournament by the CAF.[3][24] Equatorial Guinea was chosen as the new host, and despite having played in the qualifiers and been disqualified due to fielding an ineligible player, they qualified for the tournament automatically.[4]

The defending champions Nigeria failed to qualify for the tournament.[30]

Qualified teams

The following sixteen teams qualified for the tournament.

Country Qualified as Qualified on Previous appearance in tournament1–2
 Equatorial Guinea Hosts 14 November 2014 1 (2012)
 South Africa Group A winners 15 November 2014 8 (1996, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2013)
 Congo Group A runners-up 19 November 2014 6 (1968, 1972, 1974, 1978, 1992, 2000)
 Algeria Group B winners 15 October 2014 15 (1968, 1980, 1982, 1984, 1986, 1988, 1990, 1992, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2010, 2013)
 Mali Group B runners-up 19 November 2014 8 (1972, 1994, 2002, 2004, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2013)
 Gabon Group C winners 15 November 2014 5 (1994, 1996, 2000, 2010, 2012)
 Burkina Faso Group C runners-up 15 November 2014 9 (1978, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2010, 2012, 2013)
 Cameroon Group D winners 15 November 2014 16 (1970, 1972, 1982, 1984, 1986, 1988, 1990, 1992, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010)
 Ivory Coast Group D runners-up 19 November 2014 20 (1965, 1968, 1970, 1974, 1980, 1984, 1986, 1988, 1990, 1992, 1994, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2013)
 Ghana Group E winners 19 November 2014 19 (1963, 1965, 1968, 1970, 1978, 1980, 1982, 1984, 1992, 1994, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2013)
 Guinea Group E runners-up 19 November 2014 10 (1970, 1974, 1976, 1980, 1994, 1998, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2012)
 Cape Verde Group F winners 15 October 2014 1 (2013)
 Zambia Group F runners-up 15 November 2014 16 (1974, 1978, 1982, 1986, 1990, 1992, 1994, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2013)
 Tunisia Group G winners 14 November 2014 16 (1962, 1963, 1965, 1978, 1982, 1994, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2013)
 Senegal Group G runners-up 15 November 2014 12 (1965, 1968, 1986, 1990, 1992, 1994, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2012)
 DR Congo Best third placed team 19 November 2014 16 (1965, 1968, 1970, 1972, 1974, 1976, 1988, 1992, 1994, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2013)
1 Bold indicates champion for that year.
2 Italic indicates host for that year.

Venues

The four Equatorial Guinean cities selected to host the tournament were Malabo, Bata, Mongomo and Ebebiyín.[31]

Malabo and Bata were also host venues for the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations.

Screening for Ebola was given to all spectators attending matches.[32]

Bata Malabo
Mongomo
Bata
Malabo
Ebebiyín
 Mongomo Ebebiyín
Estadio de Bata Nuevo Estadio de Malabo Estadio de Mongomo Nuevo Estadio de Ebebiyín
Capacity: 41,000 Capacity: 15,250 Capacity: 15,000 Capacity: 8,000

Format

Only the hosts got an automatic qualification spot, the other 15 teams qualified through qualification tournament. At the finals, the 16 teams were drawn into four groups of four teams each. The teams in each group played a single round robin. After the group stage, the top two teams from each group advanced to the quarterfinals. The quarterfinal winners advanced to the semifinals. The semifinal losers played in the third place match, while the semifinal winners played in the final.[33]

Draw

The finals draw was held on 3 December 2014 in Malabo.[31][34] It was initially to be held on 26 November 2014 in Rabat before the change of host country.[1][35]

The 16 teams were divided into four pots based on the CAF Ranking, with the hosts Equatorial Guinea placed in Pot 1 automatically.[36] The ranking was computed using the teams' results in the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers (weighted by 2), 2013 Africa Cup of Nations finals (weighted by 3) and qualifiers (weighted by 1), the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations finals (weighted by 2) and qualifiers (weighted by 0.5), the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations finals (weighted by 1), and the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.[37]

Pot 1 Pot 2 Pot 3 Pot 4

 Equatorial Guinea (host; assigned to A1)
 Ghana (48 pts)
 Ivory Coast (44 pts)
 Zambia (41 pts)

 Burkina Faso (40 pts)
 Mali (38 pts)
 Tunisia (32.5 pts)
 Algeria (28 pts)

 Cape Verde (26.5 pts)
 South Africa (23.5 pts)
 Cameroon (23.5 pts)
 Gabon (22 pts)

 Guinea (19 pts)
 Senegal (19 pts)
 DR Congo (18 pts)
 Congo (13 pts)

Match officials

The following referees were chosen for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations.

Referees
Assistant referees

  • Algeria Albdelhak Etchiali
  • Angola Jerson Emiliano Dos Santos
  • Burundi Jean-Claude Birumushahu
  • Botswana Oamogetse Godisamang
  • Cameroon Evarist Menkouande
  • Ivory Coast Yéo Songuifolo
  • Djibouti Hassan Egueh Yacin
  • Egypt Tahssen Abo El Sadat Bedyer
  • Eritrea Angesom Ogbamariam
  • Ghana Malik Alidu Salifu
  • Guinea Aboubacar Doumbouya
  • Kenya Marwa Range
  • Morocco Redouane Achik
  • Niger Yahaya Mahamadou
  • Nigeria Peter Edibe
  • Rwanda Theogene Ndagijimana
  • Senegal Djibril Camara
  • Senegal El Hadji Malick Samba
  • South Africa Zakhele Siwela
  • Sudan Ali Waleed Ahmed
  • Tunisia Anouar Hmila

Squads

Each team could register a squad of 23 players.[33]

Group stage

The group winners and runners-up advance to the quarter-finals.

Tiebreakers

The teams are ranked according to points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss). If tied on points, tiebreakers are applied in the following order:[33]

  1. Number of points obtained in games between the teams concerned;
  2. Goal difference in games between the teams concerned;
  3. Goals scored in games between the teams concerned;
  4. If, after applying criteria 1 to 3 to teams concerned, two or three teams still have an equal ranking, criteria 1 to 3 are reapplied exclusively to the matches between these teams in question to determine their final rankings. If this procedure does not lead to a decision, criteria 5 to 7 will apply;
  5. Goal difference in all games;
  6. Goals scored in all games;
  7. Drawing of lots.

Group A

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Congo 3 2 1 0 4 2 +2 7 Advance to knockout stage
2  Equatorial Guinea (H) 3 1 2 0 3 1 +2 5
3  Gabon 3 1 0 2 2 3 −1 3
4  Burkina Faso 3 0 1 2 1 4 −3 1
Source: CAF
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
(H) Host.
17 January 2015
Equatorial Guinea 1–1 CongoEstadio de Bata, Bata
Burkina Faso 0–2 GabonEstadio de Bata, Bata
21 January 2015
Equatorial Guinea 0–0 Burkina FasoEstadio de Bata, Bata
Gabon 0–1 CongoEstadio de Bata, Bata
25 January 2015
Gabon 0–2 Equatorial GuineaEstadio de Bata, Bata
Congo 2–1 Burkina FasoNuevo Estadio de Ebebiyín, Ebebiyín

Group B

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Tunisia 3 1 2 0 4 3 +1 5 Advance to knockout stage
2  DR Congo 3 0 3 0 2 2 0 3
3  Cape Verde 3 0 3 0 1 1 0 3
4  Zambia 3 0 2 1 2 3 −1 2
Source: CAF
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
18 January 2015
Zambia 1–1 DR CongoNuevo Estadio de Ebebiyín, Ebebiyín
Tunisia 1–1 Cape VerdeNuevo Estadio de Ebebiyín, Ebebiyín
22 January 2015
Zambia 1–2 TunisiaNuevo Estadio de Ebebiyín, Ebebiyín
Cape Verde 0–0 DR CongoNuevo Estadio de Ebebiyín, Ebebiyín
26 January 2015
Cape Verde 0–0 ZambiaNuevo Estadio de Ebebiyín, Ebebiyín
DR Congo 1–1 TunisiaEstadio de Bata, Bata

Group C

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Ghana 3 2 0 1 4 3 +1 6 Advance to knockout stage
2  Algeria 3 2 0 1 5 2 +3 6
3  Senegal 3 1 1 1 3 4 −1 4
4  South Africa 3 0 1 2 3 6 −3 1
Source: CAF
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
19 January 2015
Ghana 1–2 SenegalEstadio de Mongomo, Mongomo
Algeria 3–1 South AfricaEstadio de Mongomo, Mongomo
23 January 2015
Ghana 1–0 AlgeriaEstadio de Mongomo, Mongomo
South Africa 1–1 SenegalEstadio de Mongomo, Mongomo
27 January 2015
South Africa 1–2 GhanaEstadio de Mongomo, Mongomo
Senegal 0–2 AlgeriaNuevo Estadio de Malabo, Malabo

Group D

Guinea and Mali finished level on the second spot after the group stage, making the first drawing of lots needed at the tournament since 1988. Unlike some other international tournaments, 2015 Africa Cup of Nations tournament regulations would not use fair-play criteria or a penalty shoot-out after the teams met on the last match day to determine the final group ranking. Both head coaches have openly criticised the regulations.[38]

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Ivory Coast 3 1 2 0 3 2 +1 5 Advance to knockout stage
2  Guinea 3 0 3 0 3 3 0 3[lower-alpha 1]
3  Mali 3 0 3 0 3 3 0 3[lower-alpha 1]
4  Cameroon 3 0 2 1 2 3 −1 2
Source: CAF
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
Notes:
  1. 1 2 Guinea and Mali were tied on head-to-head record, overall goal difference, and overall goals scored. A drawing of lots took place on 29 January 2015, 16:00 local time at the Hilton Malabo. Guinea selected the lot for 2nd place and advanced to the quarter-finals as the group runner-up.[39][40][41]
20 January 2015
Ivory Coast 1–1 GuineaNuevo Estadio de Malabo, Malabo
Mali 1–1 CameroonNuevo Estadio de Malabo, Malabo
24 January 2015
Ivory Coast 1–1 MaliNuevo Estadio de Malabo, Malabo
Cameroon 1–1 GuineaNuevo Estadio de Malabo, Malabo
28 January 2015
Cameroon 0–1 Ivory CoastNuevo Estadio de Malabo, Malabo
Guinea 1–1 MaliEstadio de Mongomo, Mongomo

Knockout stage

Match Ghana vs Guinea

In the knockout stages, if a match is level at the end of normal playing time, extra time shall be played (two periods of 15 minutes each) and followed, if necessary, by kicks from the penalty mark to determine the winner, except for the play-off for third place where no extra time shall be played.[33]

On 27 January 2015, the CAF announced that they had relocated the venues of two of the quarter-finals:[42]

The kick-off time of quarter-finals 2 and 4 are also changed from 20:00 to 20:30 local time.

 
Quarter-finalsSemi-finalsFinal
 
          
 
31 January – Bata
 
 
 Congo 2
 
4 February – Bata
 
 DR Congo 4
 
 DR Congo 1
 
1 February – Malabo
 
 Ivory Coast 3
 
 Ivory Coast 3
 
8 February – Bata
 
 Algeria 1
 
 Ivory Coast (pen.)0 (9)
 
1 February – Malabo
 
 Ghana 0 (8)
 
 Ghana 3
 
5 February – Malabo
 
 Guinea 0
 
 Ghana 3
 
31 January – Bata
 
 Equatorial Guinea 0 Third Place
 
 Tunisia 1
 
7 February – Malabo
 
 Equatorial Guinea (a.e.t.)2
 
 DR Congo (pen.)0 (4)
 
 
 Equatorial Guinea 0 (2)
 

Scores after extra time are indicated by (a.e.t.), and penalty shoot-out are indicated by (pen.).

All times local, WAT (UTC+1).

Quarter-finals

31 January 2015
17:00
Congo  2–4  DR Congo
Doré  55'
Bifouma  62'		 Report Mbokani  65', 90+1'
Bokila  75'
Kimwaki  81'
Estadio de Bata, Bata
Attendance: 31,670
Referee: Bernard Camille (Seychelles)

31 January 2015
20:30
Tunisia  1–2 (a.e.t.)  Equatorial Guinea
Akaïchi  70' Report Balboa  90+3' (pen.), 102'

1 February 2015
17:00
Ghana  3–0  Guinea
Atsu  4', 61'
Appiah  44'		 Report
Nuevo Estadio de Malabo, Malabo
Attendance: 14,500
Referee: Janny Sikazwe (Zambia)

1 February 2015
20:30
Ivory Coast  3–1  Algeria
Bony  26', 68'
Gervinho  90+4'		 Report Soudani  51'

Semi-finals

4 February 2015
20:00
DR Congo  1–3  Ivory Coast
Mbokani  24' (pen.) Report Y. Touré  20'
Gervinho  41'
Kanon  68'
Estadio de Bata, Bata
Attendance: 30,000
Referee: Néant Alioum (Cameroon)

5 February 2015
20:00
Ghana  3–0  Equatorial Guinea
J. Ayew  42' (pen.)
Mubarak  45+1'
A. Ayew  75'		 Report

Third place play-off

Note: no extra-time was played

Final

Winners

2015 Africa Cup of Nations Champions Ivory Coast
 2015 Africa Cup of Nations Champions 

Ivory Coast
Second title

Statistics

Goalscorers

3 goals
2 goals
1 goal
1 own goal

Awards

Pepsi Highest Scorer
Player name Games played Goals scored Assists Minutes played Source
Ghana André Ayew 632 [43]
Republic of the Congo Thievy Bifouma 43
Tunisia Ahmed Akaïchi 43
Democratic Republic of the Congo Dieumerci Mbokani 631
Equatorial Guinea Javier Balboa 63
Orange Man of the Competition
Best Goalkeeper
Nissan Goal of the tournament
Samsung Fair Player of the Tournament
Fair Play of the tournament
 DR Congo[44]
CAF Team of the Tournament[45]
Goalkeeper Defenders Midfielders Forwards
Ivory Coast Sylvain Gbohouo
Democratic Republic of the Congo Robert Kidiaba (tie)		 Ivory Coast Serge Aurier
Ghana Harrison Afful
Ivory Coast Kolo Touré		 Ghana André Ayew
Ivory Coast Yaya Touré
Ivory Coast Max Gradel
Democratic Republic of the Congo Yannick Bolasie
Ivory Coast Gervinho		 Ghana Christian Atsu
Ivory Coast Wilfried Bony

Discipline

In the final tournament, a player was suspended for the subsequent match in the competition for either getting red card or accumulating two yellow cards in two different matches. The disciplinary panel has the ability to increase the automatic one match ban for a red card (e.g. for violent conduct). Single yellow card cautions were erased at the conclusion of the group stage, and were not carried over to the knockout stage.[33] The following players were or are suspended during the final tournament – for one or more games – as a result of red cards or yellow card accumulations:

Player Offence Suspension
Burkina Faso Florent Rouamba Carried over from qualification Group A vs Gabon[46]
Zambia Donashano Malama Group B vs DR Congo[47]
South Africa Eric Mathoho Group C vs Algeria[48]
South Africa Reneilwe Letsholonyane
Guinea Seydouba Soumah Group D vs Ivory Coast[49]
Ivory Coast Gervinho Red card vs Guinea Group D vs Mali
Group D vs Cameroon[50]
Equatorial Guinea Diosdado Mbele YC vs Congo
YC vs Burkina Faso		 Group A vs Gabon
Republic of the Congo Boris Moubhibo YC vs Equatorial Guinea
YC vs Gabon		 Group A vs Burkina Faso
Ivory Coast Cheick Tioté YC vs Guinea
YC vs Mali		 Group D vs Cameroon
Guinea Naby Yattara Red card vs Ghana Africa Cup of Nations qualifying
Equatorial Guinea Ibán YC vs Tunisia
YC vs Ghana		 Third place play-off vs DR Congo

Tournament team rankings

As per statistical convention in football, matches decided in extra time are counted as wins and losses, while matches decided by penalty shoot-outs are counted as draws.

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Final result
1  Ivory Coast 6 3 3 0 9 4 +5 12 Champions
2  Ghana 6 4 1 1 10 3 +7 13 Runner-up
3  DR Congo 6 1 4 1 7 7 0 7 Third place
4  Equatorial Guinea (H) 6 2 3 1 5 5 0 9 Fourth place
5  Congo 4 2 1 1 6 6 0 7 Eliminated in
Quarter-finals
6  Algeria 4 2 0 2 6 5 +1 6
7  Tunisia 4 1 2 1 5 5 0 5
8  Guinea 4 0 3 1 3 6 −3 3
9  Senegal 3 1 1 1 3 4 −1 4 Eliminated in
Group stage
10  Mali 3 0 3 0 3 3 0 3
11  Cape Verde 3 0 3 0 1 1 0 3
12  Gabon 3 1 0 2 2 3 −1 3
13(T)  Cameroon 3 0 2 1 2 3 −1 2
13(T)  Zambia 3 0 2 1 2 3 −1 2
15  South Africa 3 0 1 2 3 6 −3 1
16  Burkina Faso 3 0 1 2 1 4 −3 1
Source: CAF
(H) Host.

Marketing

Sponsorship

The 2015 Africa Cup of Nations has one title sponsor and seven official sponsors as shown below.[51]

Title sponsor Official sponsors

Media

Broadcasting

Territory Channel Ref
 Arab world beIN Sports
 Asia Fox International Channels
 Australia beIN Sports
 Benin ORTB
 Brazil SporTV
 Cape Verde RTC
 Colombia Senal Colombia, Win Sports
 Europe Eurosport
 France Canal+ Group
 Ghana GTV/KTV
 India Sony SIX
 Ivory Coast RTI
 Japan NHK
 Mali ORTM
 New Zealand SKY Sports
 Senegal RTS
 South Africa SABC
 Sub-Saharan Africa SuperSport
 United Kingdom British Eurosport

ITV
 United States beIN Sports

Match ball

The new Adidas Africa Cup Ball is called Adidas Marhaba (meaning Welcome, in Arabic). The Africa Cup 2015 Ball was unveiled November 26, 2014 following the controversy about the host situation for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations.[52]

Mascot

The official mascot of the tournament was "Chuku Chuku", a porcupine.[53]

Opening ceremony

The opening ceremony of the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations took place on 17 January, at the Estadio de Bata, before the opening match of the tournament between hosts Equatorial Guinea and Congo.

Controversies

Drawing of lots

Guinea and Mali finished with equal records in Group D, thus the drawing of lots was required to choose who would advance into the quarter-finals. Prior to the draw, Mali coach Henri Kasperczak said that the tournament "must find a more sporting way [to decide who advances], fairer...This does not correspond to a sporting spirit”. His Guinean counterpart Michel Dussuyer said that neither team deserved to be eliminated in that manner.[54]

Guinea won the draw, causing a complaint from Boubacar Diarra, president of the Malian FA. Issa Haytou, president of CAF, defended the process as the only option.[55]

The CAF Disciplinary Committee's South African President Raymond Hack stated that CAF's Member Associations had chosen the option of picking lots ahead of penalties six months prior. He also said that the "Fair Play [disciplinary] table was to be used but the countries object to that and they said the table must be taken out of the rules. Had the Fair play table been used, Guinea would have qualified ahead of Mali with a better disciplinary record.[56]

Tunisia vs. Equatorial Guinea refereeing

Wadie Jary, the president of the Tunisian Football Federation, claimed that there was a bias against Tunisia following their controversial quarter-final defeat to Equatorial Guinea on 31 January 2015. He was banned from CAF competitions and activities.[57] Rajindraparsad Seechurn, the Mauritian referee who gave a penalty to Equatorial Guinea in that match, was banned from officiating for six months and removed from CAF's elite register of referees.[58] The Tunisian FA was fined $50,000 for confronting the referee during the match, in addition to damage to changing room facilities, while Equatorial Guinea was fined $5,000 for inadequate security at the stadium.[58]

Equatorial Guinea vs. Ghana crowd incidents

During the semi-final fixture between host nation of Equatorial Guinea and Ghana several incidents occurred between the home fans, visiting fans and police. At the half-time break with Ghana leading the game 2-0, the Ghanaian players were protected from hostile Equatoguinean fans by police using plastic shields.

During the 82nd minute in the second half, fans rushed onto the pitch and missiles were thrown at the Ghanaian substitute players. The players moved onto the pitch to escape the missiles. The travelling Ghanaian fans were also targets and took shelter near the goal of the pitch, out of the range of those throwing objects. A helicopter was dispatched and used to disperse spectators out of the stadium by hovering at a low height above them. The Ghanaian FA described the incident as being similar to a "war zone".[59]

Equatorial Guinea's Police force had fired smoke bombs into the stands in an attempt to bring order.[60] The game was stopped for about 30 minutes, before recommencing for a few minutes.

CAF imposed a US$100k fine on FEGUIFUT and were informed an 'official match' in Equatorial Guinea must be held 'behind closed doors' after the tournament's completion.[61]

DR Congo defender Gabriel Zakuani stated that he would rather his team forfeit the third-place playoff instead of play in front of Equatorial Guinea's fans, an opinion which was not shared by his manager Florent Ibengé.[62]

References

  1. 1 2 "Final tournamnet to run from 17th January to 8th February; semi-finals separated". cafonline.com. 26 April 2014.
  2. ↑ "Press Release following CAF EXCO May 2013 meetings". cafonline.com. 16 May 2013.
  3. 1 2 3 "CAF acknowledges Morocco's refusal to host ORANGE AFCON 2015 from January 17 to February 8". CAF. 11 November 2014.
  4. 1 2 3 "2015 Nations Cup: Equatorial Guinea to host tournament". BBC Sport. BBC. 14 November 2014. Retrieved 14 November 2014.
  5. ↑ "BFA eyes new stadium to host 2015 AFCON". Mmegi Online. Retrieved 1 October 2010.
  6. ↑ "Cameroon to host African Cup of Nations?". global post. 26 September 2010. Archived from the original on 9 October 2010. Retrieved 1 October 2010.
  7. ↑ "DR Congo name local committee to back 2015 nations cup bid". Star Africa. 20 August 2010. Retrieved 2 October 2010.
  8. ↑ "Guinea Wants To Host 2015 Africa Cup Of Nations". goal.com. 11 September 2010. Retrieved 1 October 2010.
  9. ↑ "Morocco to host African Cup of Nations?". global post. 26 September 2010. Archived from the original on 9 October 2010. Retrieved 1 October 2010.
  10. ↑ "SA bids for 2015 Nations Cup". KickOff Magazine. 29 September 2010. Archived from the original on 2 October 2010. Retrieved 1 October 2010.
  11. ↑ "Zambia Bids to Host 2015 Africa Cup Of Nations". Zambian Watchdog. 5 November 2010. Retrieved 2 December 2010.
  12. ↑ "Zim’s Afcon bid faces SA challenge". Zimbabwe Independent. 30 September 2010. Archived from the original on 5 December 2010. Retrieved 2 December 2010.
  13. ↑ "CAN 2015, 2017 bid applications closed". CAF Online. 2 October 2010. Retrieved 2 December 2010.
  14. ↑ "Organisation de la Can 2015 : Une commission de la Caf en Rdc le 12 novembre prochain en visite d’inspection". Groupelaviner. 22 October 2010. Retrieved 2 December 2010.
  15. ↑ "DR Congo withdraws CAN 2015, 2017 bid". CAF Online. 15 November 2010. Retrieved 2 December 2010.
  16. ↑ "AFCON 2015 and 2017/ Morocco: CAF for inspection in Casablanca". Star Africa. 10 November 2010. Retrieved 2 December 2010.
  17. ↑ At the time of bidding, 1996 was South Africa's previous time hosting. They would later step in to host the 2013 AFCON in place of war-torn Libya.
  18. ↑ "Morocco to host 2015 African Nations Cup". Reuters. Retrieved 14 November 2014.
  19. ↑ "Decisions of CAF Executive Committee after meetings on 21-22 September" (PDF). cafonline.com. 23 September 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 September 2013.
  20. ↑ "Nigeria: CAF Names Host Cities for 2015 Nations Cup". allafrica.com. 24 September 2013.
  21. ↑ "Ebola outbreak: Postpone Africa Cup of Nations, say hosts Morocco". BBC Sport. 10 October 2014. Retrieved 11 October 2014.
  22. ↑ "CAF maintains Orange AFCON 2015 from January 17 to February 8". Confederation of African Football. 3 November 2014.
  23. ↑ "2015 Nations Cup: Morocco fails to meet deadline". BBC Sport. 8 November 2014.
  24. 1 2 "2015 Nations Cup: Caf confirms Morocco will not host finals". BBC Sport. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
  25. 1 2 3 "Africa Cup of Nations: Caf to reveal hosts in two to three days". BBC Sport. 12 November 2014. Retrieved 12 November 2014.
  26. ↑ "Africa Cup of Nations: Morocco banned from next two tournaments". BBC Sport. 6 February 2015. Retrieved 6 February 2015.
  27. ↑ "Morocco Fined $1M for Failing to Host African Cup". ABC News. 6 February 2015. Retrieved 6 February 2015.
  28. ↑ "Morocco win appeal over Afcon 2017 and 2019 bans". BBC Sport. 2 April 2015.
  29. ↑ "Sports minister says Ghana won't host African Cup". USA Today. 10 November 2014. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
  30. ↑ "2015 Nations Cup: Nigeria fail to qualify for finals". BBC Sport. 19 November 2014.
  31. 1 2 "EQUATORIAL GUINEA DESIGNATED HOST COUNTRY OF ORANGE AFCON 2015". CAF. 14 November 2014.
  32. ↑ Hughes, Ian (18 January 2015). "Zambia 1-1 DR Congo". BBC Sport. Retrieved 18 January 2015.
  33. 1 2 3 4 5 "Regulations of the Orange Africa Cup of Nations" (PDF). Confederation of African Football.
  34. ↑ "Ghana, Algeria, South Africa, Senegal in Group of Death". CAF. 4 December 2014.
  35. ↑ "Decisions made by the CAF Executive Committee, convened January 24th 2014" (PDF). Cafonline.com. 26 January 2014.
  36. ↑ "Orange AFCON 2015: Procedure for the draw". CAF. 1 December 2014.
  37. ↑ "Orange African Cup of Nations 2015 – Equatorial Guinea Official Draw on December 3rd 2014 Draw Procedures and Seeded Teams" (PDF). CAF.
  38. ↑ "Afcon 2015: Mali and Guinea managers criticise drawing of lots". BBC Sport. 28 January 2015.
  39. ↑ "Procedure for the draw between Mali and Guinea". CAF. 28 January 2015.
  40. ↑ "Guinea to face Ghana in quarter final". CAF. 29 January 2015.
  41. ↑ Hills, David. "Africa Cup of Nations 2015: Guinea and Mali draw lots – live!". The Guardian. Retrieved 29 January 2015.
  42. ↑ "Quarterfinal matches of Ebebiyin and Mongomo relocated respectively to Bata and Malabo". CAF. 27 January 2015.
  43. ↑ "Andre Ayew top-scores Afcon competition". Ghana FA official website. Retrieved 8 February 2015.
  44. ↑ "Atsu, Ayew win mvp and top scorer awards". CAFonline.com. 8 February 2015. Retrieved 8 February 2015.
  45. ↑ "Orange AFCON 2015 Awards and Best XI". CAF. 12 February 2015.
  46. ↑ "Start list: Burkina Faso 0–2 Gabon" (PDF). Confederation of African Football. 16 January 2015.
  47. ↑ "Malama suspended for 2015 AFCON opener". MTN Football. 20 November 2014.
  48. ↑ "Confirmed: Mathoho Out Of AFCON Opener". Soccer Laduma. 6 January 2015.
  49. ↑ "Ebola-hit Guinea made 'very welcome' at Cup of Nations". Daily Mail. 19 January 2015.
  50. ↑ "Two-game suspension for Gervinho". CAF. 22 January 2015.
  51. ↑ "Sponsors". Retrieved 24 January 2015.
  52. ↑ "Adidas Marhaba - 2015 Africa Cup of Nations Ball Revealed". Footy Headlines. 26 November 2014.
  53. ↑ "Timeline Photos - CAF / Africa Cup of Nations - Facebook". facebook.com.
  54. ↑ "Mali and Guinea coaches unhappy at drawing lots for AFCON quarter-final place". The National. Agence France-Presse. 29 January 2015. Retrieved 6 February 2015.
  55. ↑ "African Cup of Nations 2015: Guinea win cruel' drawing of lots to reach quarter-finals". The Independent. 29 January 2015. Retrieved 6 February 2015.
  56. ↑ ""Member countries chose drawing of lots"- CAF". CitiFM Online. 30 January 2015. Retrieved 8 February 2015.
  57. ↑ "SUSPENSION OF THE PRESIDENT AND ULTIMATUM FOR TUNISIAN FEDERATION". CAF. 6 February 2015. Retrieved 6 February 2015.
  58. 1 2 "Africa Cup of Nations: Referee banned for six months". BBC Sport. 4 February 2015. Retrieved 6 February 2015.
  59. ↑ "Africa Cup of Nations: Semi-final was 'war zone', says Ghana FA". BBC. 5 February 2015. Retrieved 6 February 2015.
  60. ↑ Ames, Nick. "Ghana players, fans pelted with missiles in win over Equatorial Guinea". Guardian (UK). Retrieved 6 February 2015.
  61. ↑ "SANCTIONS FOLLOWING THE INCIDENTS IN MATCH 30 GHANA-EQUATORIAL GUINEA". CAF. 6 February 2015. Retrieved 6 February 2015.
  62. ↑ "Africa Cup of Nations riot: DR Congo's Zakuani wants game off". BBC Sport. 6 February 2015. Retrieved 6 February 2015.
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