El Hadji Diouf slammed the referee of the semifinal clash between Senegal and Egypt in the African Cup of Nations on Tuesday, as the Senegalese striker said his team was denied a clear penalty during the last minute of the match. Egypt clinched the winning goal in the 78th minute to go 2-1 up, securing their passage to the final stage, however the Bolton Wanderers forward believes that his country could have equalized forcing the game into extra time, had the referee called for the penalty in the 89th minute. The controversial incident occurred when Egypt's defender Ibrahim Said made a dangerous tackle against Diomansy Kamara in the final seconds of the game. "African football officials have to take another look at the African game because the Europeans are going to laugh at us if the refereeing is like that," Diouf was quoted as saying by Sky Sports. West Brom forward Kamara expressed his anger towards the referee's decision that implied that there was some sort of bias to the hosts. "Of course we were robbed," said an infuriated Kamara. "It was a clear penalty, you can look at the pictures.” "The referee has to whistle for it…The rule is the same for everyone, whether it is at home or away." Senegal will face Nigeria on Thursday in the third-place match while Egypt will clash with Ivory Coast in the final, for the second time in the tournament.
