From BBCs Web site:

Thursday, 7 February, 2002, 18:44 GMT
Cameroon's Nkono arrested


Nkono is led away by police
Cameroon's goalkeeping coach Thomas Nkono was arrested by riot police before
the country's African Cup of Nations semi-final with Mali.
The police arrested the goalkeeping coach 90 minutes before the kick off
after he and Cameroon coach Winfried Schafer stepped onto the pitch at the
March 26 Stadium.

Nkono was first jostled by a number of police and then knocked to the
ground.

The police then dragged him onto the running track adjacent to the pitch.

Schafer implored journalists and photographers to record the incident as his
assistant was handcuffed and led away down the players tunnel, at one point
with his tracksuit trousers pulled around his ankles.

A member of the police then ran back onto the pitch and appeared to retrieve
an object from the ground where Schafer and his assistant had been standing.

There was speculation that the the object was a black-magic charm aimed at
helping Cameroon's cause.

Cameroon's minister for sport, Bidoung Mpkatt, who is travelling with the
team, sought to play down the incident.

"I hope it's just a minor incident, I hope it was an individual error on the
part of the policemen involved," he said.

"But if it's something more than that we will take appropriate action," he
added

At the last Nations Cup in 2000 controversy erupted in the quarter-final
match between Nigeria and Senegal over the supposed use of witchcraft.

With Senegal leading 1-0 with only minutes left, a member of the Nigerian
delegation sprinted onto the pitch before snatching an object from the
Senegalese goal.

The official was later banned by the Confederation for African Football.

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