Cameroon fans go on racist rampage after Cup ousting

YAOUNDE, Cameroon -- Throngs of angry supporters of Cameroon's soccer team yesterday attacked vehicles and businesses owned by white expatriates in retaliation against what they described as a racist anti-African plot by World Cup officials.

No injuries were reported.

The attacks accompanied Cameroonian government condemnation of officiating in the World Cup after Cameroon was ousted from the World Cup on Tuesday in a controversial 1-1 draw with Chile.

Cameroon's coach Claude Leroy and his players insisted they were robbed by Hungarian referee Laszlo Vagner's refusal to allow a second-half goal by Francois Omam Biyick that would have given Cameroon the lead.

A victory would have propelled the Indomitable Lions into the second round.

Several cars, including one with diplomatic licence plates, were damaged and a number of people threatened as crowds of university students shouting anti-white slogan in the streets of Yaounde, Cameroon's capital.

Security forces in riot gear patrolled the city after a group of white shoppers in a popular city centre supermarket was surrounded by a mob of young men who threatened to attack whites. Some shoppers were trapped inside for more than an hour until police dispersed the group with armoured cars and water cannons.

In another part of the city, a bakery owned by a French national was surrounded by a group of men who threatened to attack the owner and other white customers inside. Police dispersed the crowd.

Cameroonian government officials blamed the sport's ruling body, Fifa, for allowing what they called poor-quality refereeing and said the country had lodged an official protest.

"What we saw is not a World Cup competition. It has been a festival of scandal," Cameroon's Youth and Sports Minister Joseph Owona was quoted as saying by the African Nation newspaper. "It was not the round ball that eliminated us."

Some fans accused the football fraternity of hatching a plot against African teams.

"It has now been confirmed that no matter the performance of Africans, whites are determined to eliminate us. We should stop competing in the competition," said one fan.