LUANDA: Mali have lodged an official protest over what they describe as the complete non-match between Angola and Algeria which knocked them out of the Africa Cup of Nations.
The hosts and Algeria played out a goalless draw on Monday to send both sides into the quarter-finals from Group A at the expense of Mali.
Angola finished top on five points with Algeria second on four.
Stephen Keshi s side finished level with Algeria after beating Malawi 3-1 on Monday but were squeezed out having lost 1-0 to the Desert Foxes last week.
Angola and Algeria went at each other s throats in an open first half at the November 11 Stadium but when news filtered through from Cabinda that Mali were fully in control the second half turned into a dreary affair with neither team prepared to take any unnecessary risks.
That attitude incensed the Mali team who have written to organizers the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to officially complain.
We are lodging a vehement protest against the behavior of the Algeria and Angola teams, the Mali Football Federation president Boubacar Thiam wrote in the letter, a copy of which has been seen by AFP.
In fact the second half of this game was a total non-match, the two sides systematically refusing to play in order to maintain the score at 0-0 which was sufficient for qualification.
He continued: This anti-sporting behavior is contrary to the ethics and the fair-play policy put forward by FIFA and CAF must condemn it with the utmost vigor.
It does a disservice to African football and to the game in general.
We hope that CAF will take the necessary disciplinary measures.
Thiam cites as a precedent for his protest a similar incident at the Africa Cup of Nations Youth Championships in 2001 match against Cameroon and Egypt who were made to replay a match after a scoreless draw.
The notion that Monday s draw had been arranged by Angola and Algeria before kick-off was strongly denied by Algeria coach Rabah Saadane and Angola captain Kali.
Saadane told Monday s post-match press conference: Don t come out with that sort of question, I don t accept at all that this was a fixed match and that we had some sort of agreement with the Angolan team to play for a draw.
The coach was Algeria assistant at the 1982 World Cup when Algeria were victims of the infamous draw between Austria and the then West Germany which saw those two neighbors progress to the second round at the expense of the Algerians.
Saadane added: It s part of soccer, you have to manage a match and look for ways of avoiding defeat.
Getting a little hot under the collar he repeated: No way was it fixed. We were trying to get a good result in the first half, then in the second half to defend.
I asked my players at half time to do everything possible to avoid making a costly mistake.
Another journalist asked Kali if he had had any contact with his opposite number, Algeria captain Yazid Mansouri, to as he put it arrange a draw .
Kali shook his head dismissively, replying: It s wrong to insinuate that I met the Algerian captain to talk about fixing this game. Journalists in Angola insinuate a lot of things and bring up a lot of negative points; it s wrong. I had no contact with the Algerian captain.
The defender, who is clubless, added: In our first match (the 4-4 draw with Malawi) the coach accused us of being angels and inexperienced.
So in our next two matches we ve showed something different.
Now we remain in Luanda for the quarter-final; that was our objective.
Saadane said Algeria were on the right path after a disastrous opening 3-0 loss to Malawi.
We started very badly and then got three points from our next game (1-0 win over Mali) and this draw against the hosts.
Bearing in mind the conditions, it was very hot with a lot of humidity which wasn t favorable to us, we did our best.
We did the essential. Now we go to Cabinda to play our quarter-final. We don t have any players suspended and we ll hopefully get back Rafik Saifi from injury.
Opposite number Jose may not be taking Angola to the World Cup but he is relishing guiding Angola to their best ever showing in the Africa Cup of Nations.
Angola have done the best qualifying ever. We re into the quarter finals and anything can happen. We could be knocked out or reach the final and win the title! said the former Al-Ahly boss. -AFP
