RABAT, Morocco (AP) – Algerian player Mohamed Amoula appeared to mock Congolese supporters like the statue paying tribute to independence hero Patrice Lumumba, but said he meant no disrespect. africa cup of nations.
During his subsequent celebration Algeria’s dramatic 1-0 win over Congo On Tuesday, Amoura imitated a fan and raised his right hand, then collapsed onto the field and lay with his head in his hands.
Fan Michelle Ngcuka Mboradinga, became a social media star At the Africa Cup, he posed as a statue of Lumumba on a pedestal with his right hand raised and remained completely still during his team’s matches. He stayed that way for more than 90 minutes Tuesday, and then for another 30 minutes as the game went into overtime.
Amoura said he did not know the significance of what he knew Lumumba Vea represented.
“I didn’t mean any malicious intent or to provoke anyone, I just wanted to have a good-natured joke,” Amoura wrote in a social media post.
Lumumba is widely admired as a nationalist activist. helped end Belgian colonial rule over the Congo He became the newly independent country’s first prime minister and was seen as one of Africa’s most promising new leaders, but he was killed within a year in a fight against a Belgian-backed separatist movement in the mineral-rich Katanga region.
“I respect Congo and their team. Frankly, I wish them the best and hope they qualify for the World Cup,” Amoura wrote. “I sincerely regret if my attitude was misunderstood, as that was not my intention at all.”
As an apology, Algerian team officials visited Ngcuka Mboradinga before he left Morocco and presented him with an Algerian shirt with the name Lumumba on the back and a shirt with Amoura’s name on it.
Congo can qualify for the final World Cup by defeating either New Caledonia or Jamaica in the play-offs in Mexico on March 31st.
The Fennec Foxes will next face Nigeria in the Africa Cup quarter-finals on Saturday.
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Associated Press at the Africa Cup: https://apnews.com/hub/africa-cup-of-nations
