Two months after the African Cup of Nations dispute, the CAF (African Football Confederation) appeals committee withdrew the title won by Senegal and declared Morocco the winner, as announced by the highest governing body of African football this Tuesday (17).
CAF decided to “declare that the Senegalese team lost the final due to WO”. Thus, “the result was officially recorded as 3-0” in favor of the Moroccan team, the statement specified. The match had ended 1-0 for Senegal.
Several Senegalese players temporarily left the field during the final in protest against a refereeing decision.
The decision follows an appeal filed by the FRMF (Royal Moroccan Football Federation) and was taken based on articles 82 (leaving the field before the regular end of the match without authorization from the referee) and 84 (the team that violates the provisions of article 82 will be eliminated from the competition and will lose the match 3-0) of the regulations.
The CAF disciplinary board had rejected Morocco’s initial protest, but the appeal committee reversed the decision and won the case for the Moroccans.
Senegal left the field in protest against a penalty awarded in the final minutes of regulation time. The infraction was flagged after a VAR review by Congolese referee Jean-Jacques Ndala, who identified a pull by El Hadji Malick Diouf on Brahim Díaz during a corner kick, five minutes into stoppage time.
While the referee consulted the monitor at the edge of the field, there was pushing and shoving between players and members of the technical committees. After confirming the penalty, the Senegalese team left the pitch.
The players returned and beat Morocco, the host country, 1-0 in extra time, winning the title amidst a scenario of strong tension.
Coach Pape Bouna Thiaw was responsible for ordering the team to leave the field, but ended up being convinced by Sadio Mané to make the team return to finish the match.
Thiaw was subsequently suspended, a punishment valid only for the next games of the African Cup of Nations qualifiers, which begin after the World Cup in June — a competition for which Senegal and Morocco are already qualified.
With the decision announced this Tuesday, Morocco is now recognized as African champion for the second time, ending a 50-year fast since its first victory.
