An Ivorian man identified as Anselme Santos has apologised to his wife and children for asking a Senegalese lady for her phone number during a live match.
The picture of Mr Santos and the unnamed Senegalese lady went viral on 29 January after the Round 16 match between the defending champion Senegal and host nation Ivory Coast at the ongoing African Cup Of Nations (AFCON).
The pictures and videos swiftly became an instant meme after the match.
He apologised when he appeared with his wife on Wednesday before a live audience on a popular Ivorian programme, Sly de Sly Show.
According to Actu Foot on X (formerly Twitter), Mr Santos acknowledged the lapse in judgment in trying to woo the lady.
He expressed remorse for any distress caused to his wife and children.
Mr Santos added that he told the Senegalese lady to give him her number, but she declined, stating that he didn’t insist.
“I asked her for her number; it was euphoric; we were talking before and during the match. I apologise to the lady in the video.
In the euphoria, I told her, ‘Give me your number’. It wasn’t mean, but she didn’t want to. So I didn’t insist. I want to take this opportunity to apologise to the lady, my wife, and my children,” Actu Foot quoted him as saying.
Scenarios like Mr Santos’s viral candid moment happen more frequently than we imagine during live football matches.
But unlike the Ivorian man, an Ecuadorian, Deyvi Andrade, got more than he bargained for in January 2020 when he was caught kissing a woman on the Kiss Cam at a friendly match between Barcelona SC and Delfin in Ecuador.
He reportedly admitted to cheating on his partner after the incident captured at half-time went viral.
A Kiss cam is a popular feature during timeouts at many sporting events, where couples are invited to share a kiss on camera and be displayed on the giant screens in the stadium.
However, it also captures unexpected moments, including those between couples who may not be entirely faithful to one another.
The Ivorians suffered a record 4-0 loss on home soil to Equatorial Guinea in their third group stage match, while Nigeria defeated them 1-0 in the second leg.
After the defeat, they sacked coach Jean-Louis Gasset and replaced him with assistant Emerse Fae.
Despite a disastrous group campaign, Ivory Coast defeated holders Senegal 5-4 on penalties after a 1-1 draw at the Charles Konan Banny Stadium, securing a quarter-final against Mali in the ongoing AFCON.
The host nation qualified for the knockout stages as one of the best third-place teams after a dismal performance in group A, which included Equatorial Guinea and Nigeria.