Senegal banned from Nations Cup after riot

Senegal have been disqualified from
the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations after a
riot forced the abandonment of
Saturday's home tie with Ivory Coast.
It is not yet clear whether the
Confederation of African Football will
take further action against Senegal.
The match in Dakar was called off after
74 minutes, with Ivory Coast 2-0 up on
the night and 6-2 ahead on aggregate.
Caf has officially confirmed the result as
a 2-0 win for Ivory Coast, sending them
through to next year's tournament.
Senegal manager Ferdinand Coly said
on Sunday that "Senegal will accept the
sanctions". He also apologised to Ivory
Coast.
Trouble flared after striker Didier
Drogba scored his side's second goal
from the penalty spot.
Visiting supporters were forced to leap
down on to the pitch to escape as
violence erupted, with home fans
throwing missiles, stones, bottles and
firecrackers.
Ivorian players took refuge in the centre
circle while the security forces used tear
gas to disperse the rioting fans.
The match was suspended for 40
minutes while police tried to restore
order but the referee was forced to call
off the second-leg, final-round qualifier.
Caf says its decision to ban Senegal is in
accordance with the provisions of article
16 paragraph 20 of their regulations of
the competition, which states:
"If the referee is forced to stop the
match before the end of the regular
time because of invasion of the field or
aggression against the visiting team, the
host team shall be considered loser and
shall be eliminated from the
competition, without prejudice to the
sanctions existing in the regulations."
Ivory Coast had already been included
in Monday's seedings draw for the 2013
Nations Cup, which will be held in South
Africa between 19 January and 10
February.