AFCON 2025 Opener: Camera Slip Overshadows Egypt-Zimbabwe, Director Fires Back

What happened before kickoff

The match director, Rui Amorim, faced swift ridicule after a peculiar pre-kickoff mistake during AFCON 2025, as cameras lingered on Zimbabwe players while Egypt's national anthem played.

Social media exploded with jokes as the error spread across platforms.

Amorim's explanation

Amorim later clarified the incident, apologizing and saying it was unintentional, citing several technical issues with the cameras during the anthem and multiple faults.

In statements carried by ON Sport, he said a match official told him the Zimbabwean anthem would play first, a European practice that treats the visiting team ahead of the home.

He concluded that he has visited Egypt many times, has dear friends there, and wishes the Pharaohs luck; he added that the next match would be played with the highest standards of accuracy and organization.

Egypt began its continental campaign with a tough 2-1 victory over Zimbabwe on Monday night at the Adrar Stadium in Agadir, part of Group B.

Egypt now prepares to face South Africa on Friday in the second round of the group.

Context and outcome

Overall, the Pharaohs opened AFCON 2025 with a win and look ahead to the rest of the group stage. The incident sparked laughter but also a reminder of how tight schedules and technology can complicate even a big event.

Punchline: If camera angles were a sport, Amorim would be a multi-time world champion of misfocus.

Punchline 2: In football and filming, timing is everything—apparently, the clock ran a little fast on this one.