Senegal stripped of Afcon title they 'won' two months ago after players left pitch during final
by The 42, https://www.thejournal.ie/author/the-42/ · TheJournal.ieThe 42
THE CONFEDERATION OF African Football (CAF) has stripped Senegal of the Africa Cup of Nations title they won in January and declared Morocco champions.
Several Senegalese players had temporarily left the pitch late in the match in protest at a refereeing decision.
Minutes before the end of the match, some Senegalese supporters attempted a pitch invasion, while Senegal’s players halted the game for nearly 20 minutes to protest a late penalty awarded to Morocco.
The decision to award Morocco the spot-kick came right at the end of normal time with the game goalless, and sparked a walk-off from the eventual winners, leading to a 20-minute delay.
When Senegal came back Brahim Diaz fluffed his penalty, and Pape Gueye went on to score the winner in extra time.
CAF said that having studied Morocco’s appeal, “the Senegal national team is declared to have forfeited the match” and the result was “officially recorded as 3-0″ in favour of Morocco.
Advertisement
The CAF Appeals Committee justified its decision by applying Articles 82 and 84 of the AFCON Regulations, which state that if a team “refuses to play or leaves the ground before the regular end of the match without the authorisation of the referee, it shall be considered (loser) and shall be eliminated for good from the current competition”.
The articles add that the team contravening the regulations “will lose its match by 3-0″.
The Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) said in a statement its appeal “was never intended to contest the sporting performance of the teams participating in this competition, but solely to request the application of the competition regulations”.
“The Federation reaffirms its commitment to respecting the rules, to the clarity of the competitive framework, and to the stability of African competitions,” the statement added.
Senegal’s football authorities said they will appeal “as soon as possible” to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
“The Senegalese Football Federation condemns this unjust, unprecedented and unacceptable decision, which brings African football into disrepute,” it said in a statement.
Written by AFP and originally published on The 42 whose award-winning team produces original content that you won’t find anywhere else: on GAA, League of Ireland, women’s sport and boxing, as well as our game-changing rugby coverage, all with an Irish eye. Subscribe here.