The incidents took place after supporters flocked to the streets of Conakry, the capital of Guinea, to celebrate in cars and on motorbikes, the Guinean Football Federation (Feguifoot) informed the BBC.
As the capital’s roadways filled with revelling fans, a police source informed Agence France Presse (via BBC) that several fans drove around on car bonnets. This resulted in three fatalities from a high-speed collision between two vehicles, as well as several dozen injuries from other traffic incidents. Following the troubling news, Feguifoot and former Guinea star Pascal Feindouno have called for calm in the county.
“What is important is that our fans and the public celebrate in a very measured fashion,” Feguifoot media manager Amadou Makadji told BBC Sport Africa. “They have to be very careful to not put themselves in danger because the goal of football is to bring joy and not leave families bereaved. We do not want deaths to be mourned, so we call on everyone to celebrate but to take care of themselves so that nothing happens to them. Guinea is a country where people are very, very passionate about football and they experience football like nowhere else in the world.”
Feinduono told BBC while in Yamoussoukro, Ivory Coast: “I have a message to send to Guinean men and women. Rest assured that we will do something at the Nations Cup but we have learned something that will destabilise us. We learned there were deaths after the victory against The Gambia – we want this to stop because we are here to defend the colours of the country. Everything is going well for us at the moment so support the country but don’t do anything to kill each other or oneself. Stay calm – thank you.”
The win was an important one for fans as only three of Guinea’s 15 AFCON games since 2012 have ended in victories. With the win coming late in the game, Aguibou Camara’s decisive strike vaulted Guinea to second in Group C on four points, two behind reigning champions Senegal and three ahead of third-placed Cameroon, the five-time winners of the trophy.
On Tuesday, January 23, Guinea face Senegal in another West African derby in a fight for top spot of the group and the chance to stay in Yamoussoukro for the knockout stages
