MALABO: FIFA President Sepp Blatter and CAF chief Issa Hayatou accused western media on Saturday of dramatising the crowd violence which marred the African Nations Cup semi-final between Ghana and Equatorial Guinea.
Projectiles were hurled at players and supporters, a police helicopter was called to disperse fans in the stadium and conflict continued outside the ground after the match which was delayed for over half an hour before Ghana won it 3-0.
“Good news is no news, bad news is news,” Blatter told reporters on Saturday at the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between FIFA and CAF.
“We only talk about the bad. Football — which is such a good thing — let it live, leave it in peace, it’s well organised, let them do it.
“I don’t see the negative side of African football that the media presents,” Blatter added.
“It’s normal, we criticise what’s good, never what’s bad. The unhappy role of the media is to assume and to forecast.”