Online Outcry Over Senegal's AFCON Title Stripping
A burgeoning online campaign is fervently calling for the revocation of Senegal's Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) title, won in January, should the decision to strip them of their victory be upheld. The crux of the controversy lies in allegations that if Senegal's title is rescinded, then Morocco, the team they defeated, should similarly lose their 1976 championship. However, an investigation by AFP Factcheck has revealed that there is no substantiating evidence to support the assertion that Moroccan players abandoned the field during their match against Guinea, an action purportedly responsible for Senegal's current predicament.
Recently, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) overturned Senegal's 1-0 victory due to players leaving the pitch without the referee's consent, protesting a late penalty awarded to Morocco during the final match on January 18 in Rabat. In response to this ruling, Senegal has lodged an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), seeking to overturn the decision.
Misguided Claims and Historical Context
The CAF's decision has sparked significant backlash across the African continent, with numerous social media commentators mistakenly asserting that Morocco engaged in similar behavior during their crucial match against Guinea in Ethiopia back in 1976. One misleading Facebook post claimed, "It was by leaving the pitch and coming back to play that Morocco won its one and only Africa Cup of Nations in 1976." This misinformation has gained traction, leading to local sports media outlets echoing these erroneous claims, with some suggesting that the Guinean Football Federation (FGF) had filed an appeal to reclaim the 1976 title.
In light of the growing confusion, the FGF officially stated on March 22 that it had not initiated any legal proceedings with either the CAS or CAF regarding the 1976 title. They clarified that the 1976 competition concluded not with a conventional final but rather with a four-team mini-league, which Morocco won by a mere point ahead of Guinea.
There exists no comprehensive video footage of the 1-1 draw between Morocco and Guinea, a match that ultimately secured Morocco's title. Nevertheless, AFP was able to interview first-hand witnesses who confirmed that no walk-off occurred. Cherif Souleymane, who netted the goal giving Guinea the lead in the match on March 14, 1976, firmly stated, "That's not true." He emphasized that his goal did not lead to any incidents, asserting, "They won fairly, by the book." Furthermore, an exhaustive search by AFP has yielded no articles or reports indicating that Moroccan players exited the pitch in protest during that pivotal match.
French Moroccan journalist Said El Abadi, who authored a comprehensive history of African football, remarked, "If such an event had taken place, it would have made a lasting impression; we would have heard about it." He confirmed that in his extensive research through official archives from CAF and the Moroccan Football Federation, he found no reference to any such incident. The erroneous narrative appears to have originated from a broadcast by Radio France International on January 30, wherein pundit Remy Ngono claimed that Moroccan players had walked off the pitch in 1976. Ngono has yet to respond to AFP's inquiries regarding the basis of his claim.
As reported by supersport.com.
