Following the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) match between Congo and Morocco, DR Congo captain Chancel Mbemba faced a barrage of racist abuse on social media. The abuse, consisting of monkey and gorilla emojis and racist comments, was directed at Mbemba.
Afte the full-time whistle on Sunday, January 21, 2024, a tumultuous scene played out as dozens of players and staff from Morocco and DR Congo engaged in a heated altercation following their Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) game.
The incident, triggered by a fiery exchange between Morocco’s head coach, Walid Regragui, and DR Congo’s defender, Chancel Mbemba, with the defender accusing the coach of making racist remarks.
Video footage captured the chaos that ensued, with members of both teams confronting and pushing each other in the aftermath of their 1-1 draw.
The conflict escalated in the tunnel, with players continuing to scuffle as they ran into the depths of the stadium.
An account on social media, purportedly the official page for AFCON, claimed that Regragui was being investigated by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) for racially insulting Mbemba.
The account alleges that a lip-reading analysis concluded Regragui had made a racially insensitive remark: “Look at me while you shake my hand.”
The authenticity of this account remains unconfirmed, and CAF has not made any official statements regarding an investigation.
Regragui vehemently denies the racism allegations, emphasizing that he expressed displeasure to DR Congo’s coach about Mbemba’s behavior during the match.
Journalists who filmed the events reported that Regragui approached Mbemba while he was praying, sparking a passionate exchange and gesticulations between the two. The controversy deepened after the game when Mbemba, a former Newcastle defender, received racist and hateful comments on his Instagram post.
Mbemba, addressing the media, expressed his respect for Regragui but hinted at having additional footage that was not broadcast on television. Regragui, speaking to L’Equipe, defended his actions, claiming that Mbemba had spoken badly to him and his assistant on the sidelines before the end of the game.
