Senegal have strongly criticised the decision to take away their Africa Cup of Nations title. They called it unfair, unprecedented, and unacceptable. They said the ruling harms African football.
Morocco were named champions on Tuesday. The Confederation of African Football Appeal Board backed Morocco’s protest. It ruled that Senegal’s walk off during the final on January 18 broke the rules. The match was then awarded 3-0 to Morocco.
Senegal had won the match in Rabat on the field. They scored in extra time. But before that, they left the pitch for about 14 minutes after a penalty was given against them late in the game.
Coach Papa Bouna Thiaw led the protest. He has since received a long ban. During the incident, Sadio Mane tried to bring his teammates back to the field.
Play later resumed. Morocco missed the penalty. The match went into extra time. Pape Gueye scored the winning goal.
However, CAF said the walk off meant Senegal had broken tournament rules. The board ruled that they forfeited the match.
“The Senegalese Football Federation denounces this unfair, unprecedented, and unacceptable decision, which casts a shadow over African football,” the federation said.
“To defend its rights and the interests of Senegalese football, the federation will initiate an appeal as soon as possible before the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne.”
This is not the first such case. In 2019, Morocco’s club Wydad Casablanca walked off in the African Champions League final. They protested against VAR.
The referee first declared Esperance as winners. But CAF later ordered a replay. Esperance took the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. CAS ruled in their favour and named them champions.
The recent AFCON decision could face a similar legal fight. The referee in the final, Jean Jacques Ndala, allowed play to continue after Senegal returned. This point may be used in the appeal.
The laws of the game say the referee’s decision is final.
Veteran coach Claude Le Roy also questioned the ruling. “No one could have imagined such a statement two months after the final,” he said.
“For years, all the refereeing decisions have been flouted by the CAF,” he added.
