Ahead of the Super Eagles of Nigeria and the Bafana Bafana of South Africa’s clash, a diplomatic row has broken out between both countries concerning the semi final match at the Africa Cup of Nations set to hold on Wednesday.
The Nigerian High Commission in South Africa warned Nigerian football fans to refrain from boisterous celebrations if their team wins.
That warning was intended to prevent the provocation of xenophobic attacks by frustrated South African supporters.
But South Africa says that this has only created “false alarm”.
There has been a long-standing rivalry between the two footballing giants – the Super Eagles and Bafana Bafana.
But in its statement on Tuesday, South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) said there was “no history of soccer hooliganism among South Africans” at matches against Nigeria.
Nigeria is yet to respond to the message from the South African side.
In recent years, South Africa has seen a wave of xenophobic attacks against Africans who have moved there from elsewhere in the continent, often for better economic opportunities.
In its statement earlier on Tuesday, Nigeria’s diplomatic service said it was issuing the warning because it had seen evidence of concealed threats by South Africans online.
It advised Nigerians living in South Africa to “be watchful of their utterances, be mindful of where they choose to watch the match especially in public places, and refrain from engaging in loud, riotous or provocative celebrations should the Super Eagles win”.
The match is set to hold at Stade Bouake for this pivotal semi-final showdown.
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