Morocco Declared African Champions After CAF Strips Senegal of AFCON Title

Confederation of African Football Strips Senegal of AFCON Title

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has made a ruling in an appeal related to the January 18 Africa Cup of Nations final between Senegal and Morocco. The governing body’s appeals board has determined that Senegal is “declared to have forfeited” the match, resulting in the official score being changed from a 1-0 victory for Senegal to a 3-0 win for Morocco.

According to reports, Senegal’s players walked off the pitch during the final due to a penalty awarded late in regulation time to Morocco. The game resumed after a delay of approximately 15 minutes, and Morocco forward Brahim Diaz’s penalty was saved. In extra time, Pape Gueye scored the decisive goal for Senegal.

The incident led to disciplinary action being taken by CAF, including fines exceeding $1 million and bans for players and officials from both teams. However, the governing body had initially left the result of the match unchanged. The case may still be subject to further appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

As a result of the ruling, Senegal will no longer be recognized as the champions of Africa, and Morocco will be officially declared the winner of the tournament.

Source: Al Jazeera