ACTUALITE |
06.02.2002
Lua Lua blames referee for Congo`s Nations Cup exit
BAMAKO
Democratic Republic of Congo striker Lomana Tresor Lua Lua bitterly criticised Italian referee Domenico Messina on Tuesday, blaming him for their 2-0 African Nations Cup quarter-final defeat.
``The referee was an absolute shambles because he`s the one who killed our game,`` said Lua Lua, referring to Monday`s match.
``You`re working hard and there`s someone there just giving bad decisions. I don`t know if he had something against us but he`s the one who messed up everything for us.``
Congo complained that they should have had a penalty and that Senegal`s second goal, scored from a breakaway late in the game, should have been disallowed for offside.
A stormy encounter in Bamako, Mali, produced two brawls, several vicious tackles, mutual provocation and the tournament`s first red card, awarded to Congolese substitute Alexis Tekumu for a wild two-footed tackle late in the game.
``We had a penalty and their second goal was offside,`` said Lua Lua, who plays for English premier league Newcastle United.
``Most of their players play in Europe and they`re well known. Sometimes they fell over without being touched, screamed and the referee just gave the foul to them.``
``We had a lot of fouls which the referee didn`t give and there was a penalty right in front of him but he just let the game go on.
``Sometimes you can`t really do anything. We`re happy to have got to the quarter-finals, we think we could have got to the semifinals but really the referee ruined it for us.``
Lua Lua said that Congo were the better team and said he was surprised that Senegal had qualified for the World Cup.
``I thought we could have won the game but we didn`t have any luck. I didn`t think Senegal were anything special, I`m surprised they got to the World Cup playing like that and I think we outplayed them,`` he said.
In Kinshasa, officials said that gangs of street children rampaged through the city chanting slogans and throwing stones late on Monday after the game.
Witnesses said truckloads of armed police were sent to quell the mob of angry youths, who marched through the residential and shopping district of Matonge banging on the doors of foreign-owned shops.
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