Confederation of African Football has stunningly awarded Morocco the Africa Cup of Nations title after appeals judges overturned Senegal’s victory in a chaotic final played in January.
CAF announced that its appeals board ruled Senegal is “declared to have forfeited the final,” meaning their 1-0 extra-time win is now recorded as a 3-0 default victory in favour of host nation Morocco.
The dramatic final, held on January 18 in Rabat, descended into chaos when Senegal players, led by coach Pape Thiaw, walked off the pitch for 15 minutes in protest during stoppage time. The protest came after Morocco were awarded a decisive penalty, sparking unrest as fans also attempted to storm the field.
When play eventually resumed, Morocco forward Brahim Díaz stepped up to take the penalty with a slow chip shot, popularly known as a “Panenka.” However, his effort was saved by Senegal goalkeeper Édouard Mendy. Senegal then went on to score the only goal in extra time.
Tensions had already been high moments before the penalty decision. In the second minute of stoppage time, Senegal thought they had taken the lead, but the goal was ruled out for a foul by Abdoulaye Seck. Television replays suggested there was minimal contact on Morocco defender Achraf Hakimi.
Following the match, CAF’s initial disciplinary hearing imposed fines exceeding $1 million and handed bans to players and officials from both sides, but left the match result unchanged.
However, on appeal, CAF cited Article 82 of its tournament regulations to justify overturning the result.
The rule states that any team that leaves the field without the referee’s authorization “shall be considered loser and shall be eliminated for good from the current competition.”
The case could still be taken further to the Court of Arbitration for Sport for final determination.
TNAM
Edited by Egwu Patience Nnennaya.
