Senegal star Krepin Diatta has accused CAF officials of corruption following his team’s elimination from the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in the round of 16 against Ivory Coast.
Krepin Diatta expressed frustration and anger, particularly criticizing VAR decisions during the match.
He highlighted a pivotal moment when Senegal was denied a penalty in regular time, as Odilon Kossounou’s challenge on Ismaila Sarr went unnoticed by the referee and VAR team.
The match ended 1-1 after extra time, with Ivory Coast securing a 5-4 victory in the penalty shootout.
Diatta’s outburst reflects the controversy surrounding VAR decisions in the tournament and his belief that the officiating negatively impacted Senegal’s chances.
Odilon Kossounou seemed to have fouled Ismaila Sarr inside the box but the referee decided against pointing to the spot, with the VAR team not calling him over to review the incident via the pitch-side monitor, which left Diatta raging.
According to GOAL, while passing through the mixed zone, Diatta told reporters: “You’ve killed us, you’re corrupt! Keep your African Cup! You go and consult VAR to give them a penalty, but a guy (Sarr) runs 40 metres, overlaps, breaks into the box and you can’t go and look at the VAR. I’m sorry, but it’s ridiculous. I’m really sorry, but they’ve killed our competition there.”
However, that was not the only contentious moment in keenly contested game, Senegal star, Sadio Mane was shown a yellow card for a shin tackle on Ibrahim Sangare in the first half of the match, a challenge that should have seen the Al Nassr man sent off.
The defeat led to Senegal, the defending champions, exiting the competition, while Ivory Coast, led by interim coach Emerse Fae, advanced to the quarter-finals. Ivory Coast will face the winners of the match between Mali and Burkina Faso in the AFCON quarter-finals on February 3 at Stade de la Paix in Bouake.
READ ALSO: 2023 AFCON: The tallest goalkeeper takes a bow
