Senegal have been sensationally stripped of their AFCON title won just two months ago, with Morocco declared as champions instead.
The pair met in a highly-contentious final on January 18 in Rabat, Morocco –
However, that goal was overshadowed by chaotic events in normal time – which included the eventual winners walking off the pitch in protest at referee Jean-Jacques Ndala.
And in light of those actions, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) have overturned the result after an appeal board determined the Senegal team had forfeited the match when they left the field in protest.
The match has now gone down as a 3-0 win for Morocco who are now celebrating their second-ever AFCON title.
A statement from CAF read: ‘The CAF Appeal Board decided that in application of Article 84 of the regulations… the Senegal national team is declared to have forfeited the final match of the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations with the result of the match being recorded as 3-0 in favour of the Federation Royale Marocaine de Football (FRMF).
‘All other motions or prayers for relief are dismissed.’
The most contentious moment in the match came in the dying embers of normal time when Ndala awarded Morocco a soft penalty.
He was advised by VAR to check a tug by West Ham defender El Hadji Malick Diouf on Brahim Diaz from a corner, with the Congolese deciding to award the spot-kick.
This sparked scenes rarely seen before as Senegal’s fierce complaints then saw their whole squad storm on to the pitch – something that was matched by Morocco.
Senegal manager Pape Thiaw got into it with Morocco counterpart Walid Regragui before instructing his players to walk off the pitch, which they duly did.
Eventually, Diaz stepped up to take the kick, 17 minutes after it was awarded.
With the weight of the country on his shoulders, he inexplicably decided to try and chip the penalty down the middle of the goal – which Senegal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy caught.
The Senegal and Morocco players who have been impacted by the decision
Among the Senegal players to lose their champion status are former Liverpool striker Sadio Mane, Everton pair Idrissa Gueye and Iliman Ndiaye, Chelsea’s Mamadou Sarr and his on-loan team-mate Nicolas Jackson, West Ham’s El Hadji Malick Diouf and Crystal Palace’s Ismaila Sarr.
Manchester United’s Noussair Mazraoui, meanwhile, can savour a belated triumph alongside PSG’s Achraf Hakimi and Real Madrid’s Diaz.
Morocco welcomed the verdict in an initial response which read: ‘The Federation wishes to recall that its approach has never been intended to challenge the sporting performance of the teams participating in this competition, but solely to request the application of the competition’s regulations.
‘The Federation reaffirms its commitment to respecting the rules, ensuring clarity in the competitive framework, and maintaining stability within African competitions. It also wishes to commend all the nations that took part in this edition of the AFCON, which has been a major moment for African football. The Federation will make an official statement tomorrow, after convening its governing bodies.’
