AN IVORY COAST fan apologised to his wife and children after he was seen in a viral video asking another woman for her number during the Africa Cup of Nations.
Anselme Santos attended his host country’s crunch Last 16 clash with reigning champions Senegal at the Charles Konan Banny Stadium on Monday.
The two African giants drew 1-1 after Ivorian star Franck Kessie cancelled out Habib Diallo’s opener.
But it was Emerse Fae’s side that punched their ticket to the quarter-finals where they will face Mali after eliminating Sadio Mane and co on penalties.
Kessie scored the winning penalty but it was Santos who became the talk of the town after the dramatic Afcon encounter.
The fan was spotted speaking closely to a woman in the stands whilst other Ivorian supporters celebrated around them.
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The lady clearly looked disinterested by the approach but he insists it was only friendly banter during the “euphoria” of Ivory Coast’s triumph.
Santos later revealed he is “saddened” and “really upset” with himself after watching the viral video and went on to apologise to the woman as well as her entire family.
The father also asked for forgiveness from his own family who watched him at the stands.
Santos told Life TV: “Since we were at the hotel we were with the Senegal fans, having fun, we danced, we ate, we got the bus to the stadium, everyone was having fun.
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“We arrived at the stadium, we had the first goal, Senegal fans were trying to tease us but that’s the game.
“At the stadium we’re having fun, everyone is happy. If you went to the stadium to be sad it’s not good, if Senegal fans sat one side and us the other there would be no atmosphere.
“So that’s how you saw it in the video, I was sitting further up [away from the woman] and I was walking down when I saw her waving the Senegalese flag.
“In the euphoria, we’re having fun, we’re teasing each other, I told her, ‘Give me your number’.
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“I didn’t insist and when she didn’t want to I went back to my friend nearby in the stands. I didn’t see her again.
“I don’t think it was insisting, it was just fun at the stadium, we were teasing, I didn’t go to the stadium to pick up a woman.
“When I say, ‘Give me your number, give me your number’, it’s not necessarily because I wanted their number, we were having fun, it’s all good.
“When I got back to the hotel, I saw the video on all of the social networks. When I saw it, frankly, it saddened me.
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“I am a father, I have a family, I would like to take this opportunity to apologise [to] my family, my children, my wife.
“And then I take this opportunity to ask for forgiveness from this lady, her family, her community, her husband, her children, we were having fun and it happened but, frankly, I’m really upset about what happened.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
