Soccer
The decision to strip Senegal of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations title is “abject” and “we have to denounce it”, a senior figure at African football’s governing body has said.
Senegal beat Morocco 1-0 in January’s final but the Confederation of African Football (Caf) overturned the result on Tuesday because Senegal’s players walked off the pitch in protest when hosts Morocco were awarded a stoppage-time penalty.
Play resumed in the final after a 17-minute delay, and Brahim Diaz’s penalty for Morocco was saved and the game went to extra time, where Senegal’s Pape Gueye scored the winner.
Following an appeal by the Moroccan Football Association (FRMF), Caf ruled that by walking off the pitch Senegal had forfeited the match, with the “result being recorded as 3-0 in favour” of Morocco.
Augustin Senghor, a Caf executive committee member and former head of the Senegalese Football Federation, told BBC World Service’s Newsday: “In a situation like this, we have to fight against injustice.
“Football is fair play, football is played is on the field, not in offices.
“What happened with Caf was unacceptable.
“When you see a committee taking such a decision in violation of our rules, in violation of the Fifa laws of the game, to take the trophy and give it to Morocco, I think it is something very abject.
“We have to denounce it.”
The FRMF said in a statement on Wednesday that the Caf verdict “upholds respect for rules that are necessary for the proper functioning of international competition”.
It added: “This decision helps to clarify the framework applicable to similar situations in the future and contributes to the consistency and credibility of international competitions, particularly African football.”
But Senghor believes that the decision was made after pressure from the FRMF.
“Senegal will fight because what happened is happening for the first time in the story of African football, in world football,” he added.
“I am sure that if we [appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas)] then we will win and the trophy will never leave Senegal. It is clear in my mind.”
Senegalese Football Federation (FSF) president Abdoulaye Fall confirmed it will appeal against the decision to Cas.
He added: “It is an unfair, unprecedented and incomprehensible decision.
“From a legal standpoint, Senegal cannot lose this title.”
Morocco head coach Mohamed Ouahbi, who replaced Walid Regragui this month, said Caf’s decision to award his side the title is “well-deserved”.
He added: “But it’s important to focus on the present and the future. My goal is to make the team competitive for the World Cup.”
Speaking on Wednesday, Caf president Dr Patrice Motsepe said the incidents that took place during the final undermined work carried out regarding “integrity, respect, ethics, governance, as well as credibility of the results of our football matches”.
“It is important that the decisions of our Caf disciplinary board and the Caf appeals board are viewed with the respect and integrity that is very important to us,” said the Caf president.
“Not a single country in Africa will be treated in a manner which is more preferential or more advantageous or more favourable than any other.”
Former Cameroon, Ghana and Senegal coach Claude le Roy was also critical of Caf and Gianni Infantino, president of world football’s governing body Fifa.
“For a long time with Caf, there is nobody of high quality driving this confederation and they are under control of Mr Infantino, and I think all problems are coming from there,” he told BBC Newsday.
“Before this it was a fantastic Africa Cup of Nations, the most beautiful in the history of Afcon.
“We cannot understand this decision so long later. That means that they killed all the spirit of this so beautiful Afcon in Morocco.”
Morocco are among six joint hosts of the 2030 World Cup, alongside Spain and Portugal, with special matches being held in Uruguay – to mark the centenary of hosting the first final in 1930 – plus Argentina and Paraguay.
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