FIFA president Sepp Blatter blamed the news media for focusing too much on the violence that occurred at the end of the African Nations Cup semifinal between Ghana and Equatorial Guinea.
The Ghana supporters were evacuated and play stopped for over 30 minutes after home fans threw objects on the pitch and in the stands, and a police helicopter flew low over the stadium during Thursday's game.
Equatorial Guinea were fined $100,000 and ordered to pay for the treatment of Ghana supporters who were injured, but Blatter said the media exaggerated the turmoil and did not give enough attention to the otherwise successful football tournament.
"Good news is no news, bad news is news," Blatter said on Saturday. "We only talk about the bad. Football -- which is such a good thing -- let it live, leave it in peace, it's well organised, let them do it.
"I don't see the negative side of African football that the media presents. It's normal, we criticise what's good, never what's bad. The unhappy role of the media is to assume and to forecast.
"In the past, the government made a decision and the media passed it on. Today, we make decisions and the media have already presented it. We become slaves to the media who have already given an opinion.
"The media can play a role, must play a role, but they must play a role where the notions of respect and fair play are the basics. Today the world opens the newspapers, watches television, and sees only murders and killing. We never talk about princesses marrying any more."
Confederation of African Football chief Issa Hayatou also said western media dramatised the events on Thursday, going so far to say outlets were there to "perpetuate colonisation."
"The press always dramatise, particularly the western press," he said. "When something bad happens in Europe, they say it's an error. When something happens in Africa, they begin talking about corruption.
"What happened in that [abondoned 2012] match between Serbia and Italy? It's the same as what happened here, but when it's Africa it's different.
"It's irrelevant that it's a semifinal. It's a football match. The western media are simply here to perpetuate colonisation."