An Ivorian man caught on a viral video asking for a woman's number during the AFCON games has apologized to his wife and children.
Dressed in an Ivorian jersey, Anselme Santos appears to have gotten a bit carried away during the post-match festivities. He briskly leans to his female neighbor to murmur a few sweet nothings.
However, the woman's chilly reaction to the man's activities rapidly made the brief clip a viral phenomenon across numerous online platforms, adding an unexpected twist to the current excitement of the AFCON tournament and, as a result, turning the awkward exchange into a meme.
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In response to the viral video, Santos publicly apologized for his actions, admitting that he had unsuccessfully requested the woman's phone number in the jubilation.
However, he clarified that his approach was not insistent, saying there was nothing wrong with asking for a phone number while the entire stadium was in a joyous mood.
"I asked her, please give me your number; there’s nothing wrong with asking,” he told an Ivorian TV station.
"I was not insisting…we are in the stadium, we are having fun, I was not harassing her, I didn’t go to the stadium to hit on women, No, in front of all those cameras?"
Santos also stated that he was unaware he was being filmed and discovered it in his hotel room.
"I saw the video while I was in the hotel; everyone was calling me saying it had gone viral on social media," he told reporters.
He ultimately admitted his mistake in attempting to woo the young woman, and he apologized to his wife and children for whatever grief he had caused.
"I would like to take this opportunity to apologize to my wife and my kids, to the lady and her family...we were just having fun; I am truly sorry," he said.
