ACCRA, Feb 2: Ghana coach Claude Le Roy has apologised and been let off with a warning and a suspended $5,000 fine after an alleged slur at the African Nations Cup finals, the Confederation of African Football said on Saturday.

Le Roy had been asked to explain a complaint from a CAF official that he made a racist insult in a row over the watering of the pitch before the Group A match against Morocco on Monday.

“Le Roy complained that the Egyptian match co-coordinator Nosseir Fathy had sided with Morocco in not allowing the pitch to be watered just before the kick-off of the game because “he was Muslim like them,” a CAF statement said.

CAF said its rules stated that “anyone who publicly disparages, discriminates against or denigrates someone in a defamatory manner on account of race, colour, language, religion or ethnic origin, or perpetrates any other racist and/or contemptuous act, will be subject to match suspension for at least five matches at every level.”

Le Roy’s assistant Herve Renaud has already been suspended for Sunday’s quarter-final against Nigeria for attempts to get ground staff to water the pitch against the instructions of the match officials. Ghana beat Morocco 2-0 to ensure a clean sweep of matches in Group A.—Reuters