July 22, 2007	Sunday	Rajab 06, 1428

ALGIERS, July 21: Nigeria's newly crowned All Africa champion Olusoji Fasuba snubbed a flag-waving official and refused to take a lap of honour in a row over team selection as a spate of controversies dogged the Games.

Commonwealth silver medallist Fasuba, who easily won the 100 metres title on Thursday despite a back injury, gesticulated at the official and then criticised Nigeria's athletics authorities for their sprint selection at the Games.

He was unhappy that US-based Damola Osayomi had been chosen to run the women's 100 instead of former favourite Endurance Ojokolo.

Osayomi, however, justified her selection by matching Fasuba in winning 100 sprint gold on Thursday.

Other controversies also beset the Games, with protests from Nigerian and Kenyan officials.

Nigeria's Super Falcons, who have reached Sunday's final of the women's soccer tournament, lodged a formal protest against their semi-final referee, Egypt's Saied Howaida, for awarding what they regarded as an unjustified penalty against their side.The FIFA-rated female match official was in charge of the Falcons' 5-0 demolition of Algeria's Desert Queens on Wednesday.

The penalty award which incensed the Nigerians was made three minutes into the second half when the score was 4-0.

Kenyan officials sent a protest to the Games organisers after one of their players was hit by an object thrown from the crowd in a men's volleyball quarter-final defeat by the Algerian host team.

The Kenyans stormed off the court and it took police 45 minutes to clear the terraces and restore order. Algeria won 3-0.

Kenyan officials demanded an assurance that there would be no repeat of such incidents.

Ait Salem Souad brought Algeria gold on Friday in the women's half-marathon with a time of one hour 13 minutes 35 seconds. Ethiopia's Bayisa Atsede took the silver in 1:13:54 and Algeria's Kenza Dahmani the bronze.

Ethiopia's Deriba Merga eclipsed Tanzania's Martin Sulle in the men's half-marathon, winning in 1:02:24. Sulle took silver in 1:03.01.

Kenya's Ruth Bosibori continued the east African nation's dominance of the steeplechase with victory in the women's race.—Reuters