Morocco declared African champions after Senegal stripped of title

Morocco were declared Africa Cup of Nations champions and Senegal were stripped of the title after an appeal over the result of the final was upheld by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) on Tuesday.

Senegal were ruled to have forfeited the game in the Moroccan capital Rabat on January 18 because they walked off the pitch in protest at a potentially decisive penalty awarded against them.

They returned after 14 minutes to win the match 1-0 courtesy of a Pape Gueye goal in extra time. CAF's Appeal Board on Tuesday replaced that result with a 3-0 victory for Morocco.

The decision adds a further layer of controversy to the final, where the walk-off and fighting between players and spectators had CAF conceding that the image of African football had been severely tarnished.

The Senegalese Football Federation (SFF) said they would now be taking the matter to the Swiss-based Court of Arbitration for Sport, seeking to overturn Tuesday's decision.

"This is a travesty; this decision is based on absolutely nothing. It has no legal foundation," Abdoulaye Seydou Sow, the Secretary General of SFF, told state broadcaster RTS1.

"And from what we saw this morning when the hearing began, we already had serious doubts — clearly, the judge did not come to rule on the case, he came to carry out orders.

"The president of the federation will get in touch with the lawyers; we will engage with the appropriate authorities, and then we will go to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, which will issue the final decision.

"We will not back down. Senegalese people should have no doubt. The truth is on Senegal's side, the law is on Senegal's side."

"RESPECTING THE RULES"

Tuesday’s decision means Morocco are crowned African champions for a second time, 50 years after they won the Cup of Nations for the first time.

The Royal Moroccan Football Federation acknowledged the decision and reiterated that the appeal was aimed solely at having the competition regulations properly applied.

"The Federation reaffirms its commitment to respecting the rules, the clarity of the competitive framework, and the stability of African competitions," it said in a statement.

The Appeal Board found the conduct of the Senegal team fell "within the scope of Articles 82 and 84 of the Regulations of the Africa Cup of Nations".

They state that "if, for any reason whatsoever, 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 the loser".

In the final, the Senegal players stormed off the field in protest at a penalty awarded against them by Congolese referee Jean-Jacques Ndala following a VAR check deep in stoppage time at the end of the regulation 90 minutes.

Officials and players jostled with each other while the referee consulted the touchline screen and when he made his decision, Senegal coach Pape Bouna Thiaw, who was later fined $100,000 and suspended, ordered his players off the pitch.

They were cajoled back onto the pitch by winger Sadio Mane only to watch Morocco's Brahim Diaz chip the ball tamely into the arms of Senegal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy from the penalty spot, sending the match into extra time.

CAF on Tuesday also announced the setting aside of a $100,000 fine handed to Morocco striker Ismael Saibari and a reduction of his suspension from three matches to one for his role in the chaotic scenes.

A $100,000 fine imposed on Morocco for their players and officials attempting to interfere in the VAR process will stand, however.

(Reporting by Mark Gleeson in Cape Town, Ngouda Dione in Dakar, and Tommy Lund in Gdansk; Additional writing by Nick Mulvenney, Editing by Pritha Sarkar and Neil Fullick)