FOOTBALL – MOROCCO have been crowned Africa Cup of Nations winners after a bombshell ruling yesterday overturned Senegal’s victory two months after the final.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) Appeal Board has ruled that Senegal have been stripped of their title for walking off the pitch in protest at Morocco being awarded a late penalty.
Referee Jean-Jacques Ndala pointed to the spot in stoppage-time of January’s final following a VAR check for Malick Diouf’s challenge on Brahim Diaz, which prompted Senegal boss Pape Thiaw, who was already unhappy with a late disallowed goal for his side, to send his players to the dressing room.
Former Liverpool winger Sadio Mane ordered his Senegal team-mates to return to the pitch, and when they did after a 16-minute delay, Morocco’s Diaz saw his Paneka penalty saved by Edouard Mendy, sending the final to extra-time.
Pape Gueye then struck the winner for Senegal in extra-time but after CAF’s dramatic ruling, Senegal are “declared to have forfeited the final match” with the “result of the match being recorded as 3-0 in favour” of Morocco.
Moroccan football’s governing body, the FRMF, appealed the result and the ruling to overturn Senegal’s victory was made yesterday.
After the game, Morocco head coach Walid Regragui said the image of Africa is “shameful” after Senegal boss Thiaw led his players off the pitch.
“The image we’ve given of Africa is shameful,” he said. “A coach who asks his players to leave the field...what Pape did does not honour Africa.
“Thiaw wasn’t classy. But he is a champion, so he can say whatever he wants. We stopped the match in the eyes of the world for 10 minutes.”
Thiaw said he regretted taking his players off the pitch. “I don’t want to go over all the incidents. I apologise for the football,” he said.
The Confederation of African Football said they condemned the “unacceptable behaviour of some players and officials” during the final.
CAF cited article 82 of tournament regulations for its marquee event to justify the verdict enforced on appeal, though not at the first hearing.
It states “if, for any reason whatsoever, a team withdraws from the competition or does not report for a match, or refuses to play or leaves the ground before the regular end of the match without the authorization of the referee, it shall be considered loser and shall be eliminated for good from the current competition.”
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