In a stunning turn of events nearly two months after a contentious final match in the Africa Cup, Morocco has been awarded a surprising victory against Senegal despite their initial defeat on the pitch. The Appeals Court of the African Football Confederation (CAF) ruled in favor of Morocco's appeal, officially overturning the match result to a 3-0 scoreline in favor of the host nation. Senegal had previously won the match 1-0 after extra time, amidst a backdrop of tumult and protests.
The match was marred by controversy, particularly surrounding a contentious penalty awarded to Morocco during extra time, which led to Senegal's players almost completely walking off the field in protest back in January. Pape Gueye ultimately scored the decisive goal for Senegal in the extra time, following the missed penalty in stoppage time that had sparked the uproar.
This ruling by the Appeals Court contradicts the initial decision made by the CAF, which had issued various fines but had left the sporting result unchanged. The Appeals Court determined that Senegal’s departure from the field constituted a forfeit of the match, thereby necessitating their classification as the losers. Earlier, the CAF had concluded that the Senegalese team had returned to the field and therefore did not meet the criteria for a forfeit.
Senegal's head coach, Pape Thiaw, received a five-match suspension and a fine of $100,000 from the federation for encouraging his players to exit the field following the controversial penalty decision in stoppage time.
As reported by sport.orf.at.
