Former Senegal international Mamadou Niang described his side’s semi-final defeat to Egypt as “pure robbery” in a recent interview.
The former Marseille striker, speaking two decades after the tournament, claimed Senegal were denied a clear penalty in the dying moments of their 2-1 loss in Cairo. According to Niang, this was the decision that ultimately sent Egypt through to the final, which they would win on home soil.
Niang, who scored Senegal’s equalizer in the 51st minute, insisted a penalty shout in the final minutes, involving Ibrahim Said and Diomansy Kamara, was undeniable. “You wouldn’t even need a referee to see it was a penalty,” he said,
Instead of awarding the spot-kick, Cameroonian referee Divine Evehe gave a goal kick, leaving Senegal players and officials furious. “At that moment, you just feel this huge sense of injustice,” Niang recalled. “You think, ‘No way, if this isn’t a penalty, I’ll never get another one in my life.’”
Diomansy Kamara, at the time, bitterly remarked, “Things don’t work as they should in Africa. It was the turning point of the game as we would have drawn level. However, Egypt is the host nation, and that is clearly the advantage.”
Despite his frustration, Niang was quick to praise Egypt’s squad, particularly playmaker, “Aboutrika was like [Zinedine Zidane] for them. He was a fantastic player who could have played easily in any top European club,” he said.
Aboutrika assisted Amr Zaki’s 81st-minute winner after he replaced Mido, who had famously clashed with coach Hassan Shehata on the touchline moments earlier.
However, Niang stopped short of denying Egypt deserved their record-breaking three consecutive AFCON titles between 2006 and 2010, “I’m not saying they didn’t deserve to win the AFCON in 2006, but definitely not in that manner.”