The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has made a significant decision, withdrawing the Africa Cup of Nations title from Senegal and awarding it to Morocco following a controversial final match.
The original final, played on January 18th, saw Senegal defeat Morocco 1-0. However, the game was marred by numerous contentious incidents, including clashes between players on the field and confrontations between supporters and stadium security personnel. These disturbances led to the match being delayed by approximately 17 minutes.
The central point of contention arose in the 98th minute when a penalty was awarded to Morocco. Senegalese players protested the decision by temporarily walking off the pitch. A VAR review confirmed that Malick Diouf had pulled Brahim Diaz down inside the penalty area, leading to the penalty call. Although Diaz’s penalty attempt was saved by the goalkeeper, Pape Gueye later scored the winning goal for Senegal in extra time, securing what they believed was a 1-0 victory.
This result, however, was subsequently overturned by a decision from the Appeals Council of the African Football Association. The decision came after an official appeal lodged by the Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF), which CAF supported.
In its official statement, CAF clarified that Senegal’s actions of walking out of the final match constituted a violation of tournament regulations. Consequently, the result was deemed a 3-0 victory in favor of Morocco. CAF cited Article 82 of the Africa Cup of Nations regulations, which states that any team refusing to play or leaving the field before the end of time without the referee’s permission will be considered to have lost and be excluded from the match. Furthermore, Article 84 complements this provision, stipulating that any team violating Article 82 will forfeit the match with a 3-0 loss.
Based on these regulations, Morocco was officially declared the champion, marking a dramatic and contentious conclusion to the tournament.
