- Ivory Coast is hosting the AFCON tournament, which is currently in its group stages
- Images of security guards searching women outside a stadium have divided opinions
Critics have shared their outrage after footage emerged showing female football fans feeling their breasts by security as they were searched as they entered a stadium in Ivory Coast.
Video circulating online shows a security guard frisking women outside a venue during the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, currently in its busy group stage with the final scheduled for February 11.
The officer is first seen lifting and squeezing a female spectator’s breasts over her clothing before patting her back and sides. They then let the fan continue before repeating the process two more times.
Former BBC journalist Osasu Obayiuwana shared the video and drew attention to the varied reactions reported so far, writing: ‘Some of the reactions to this post are unbelievable. The nature of this quest is okay because a woman did this? Real?’
Mr Obayiuwana appeared to be responding to comments on an earlier post after suggesting the officer was a woman. He had written: ‘Assuming you’re right, is that how you should search someone?’
He added: “How can the Ivorian authorities think this is okay?”
A woman is searched by a security guard outside a stadium during the 2023 AFCON tournament
The footage divided opinion among onlookers, with some rating the behavior as ‘offensive’
The images initially sparked outrage in the local media; the entire process was judged ‘unacceptable’.
One X user, formerly of Twitter, said: ‘Isn’t there a female police officer there?’
Another wrote: ‘That’s a female officer. Look closely.’
Mr Obayiuwana replied: “And that makes the nature of the search okay, doesn’t it?”
The original poster admitted: ‘No, that is (an) extreme way of seeking mere access to the stadium.’
Another user wrote: ‘I went to the (Eiffel Tower) fan zone for the Euros in 2016 and was searched like that. It’s extremely unpleasant.’
Someone else said: ‘Even if the officer is a woman… this is wrong and offensive in nature.’
The identity of the security guard has not yet been released. In the background you can see men being searched by male guards.
The AFCON has retained its 2023 name despite being held in 2024.
Last summer it was postponed because it was deemed too hot.
The tournament is currently in the group stages, with the hosts having been pushed to third place in Group A, behind Equatorial Guinea and Nigeria, with one point from three matches.
Senegal will aim to defend its title after winning the 2022 competition but will face stiff opposition from Morocco after a stunning World Cup run in Qatar in December, only being knocked out by France in the semi-finals.
In the video, several women were seen being searched by the guard
A woman looks stunned as she is led away after passing through security checkpoints
It was unclear why the video was filmed and where exactly it took place
The Africa Cup of Nations is the premier international football competition in Africa, sanctioned by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and held since 1957.
It was the first year that only three countries took part – Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia – after South Africa was disqualified due to its apartheid policies.
Egypt remains the most successful team in the competition, having won seven titles since its inception.
The tournament is held every two years.