Senegal calls for corruption investigation after Africa Cup of Nations Nations title stripped

The Senegalese Football Federation plans to appeal the decision that gave its Africa Cup of Nations title to Morocco, with Senegal's government calling for an investigation into alleged corruption of African football's governing body.

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) announced on Tuesday that its appeals board ruled that Senegal, which had won the match 1-0 on January 18, had forfeited to Morocco 3-0.

The Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) appealed the initial outcome to the CAF, citing that Senegal had walked off the pitch during a match in protest of a refereeing decision on a disputed penalty deep in stoppage time, returning after a delay of about 16 minutes.

After being stripped of the victory nearly two months later, Senegal's federation said it would appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, an independent court based in Switzerland that resolves disputes from around the world.

Senegal's government called CAF's decision "grossly unlawful and profoundly unjust" in a statement issued on Wednesday.

"This unprecedented decision, of exceptional gravity, directly contravenes the cardinal principles underpinning sporting ethics, foremost among which are fairness, loyalty and respect for the truth of the pitch," the statement read.

"It stems from a manifestly erroneous interpretation of the regulations, leading to a grossly unlawful and profoundly unjust decision.

"By calling into question a result achieved at the end of a match that was duly played to its conclusion and won in accordance with the rules of the game, CAF is seriously undermining its own credibility as well as the legitimate trust that the African people place in the continent's sporting institutions."

Senegal said it rejected the ruling, adding in the statement: "It calls for the opening of an independent international inquiry into allegations of corruption within the governing bodies of CAF."

Morocco's football federation, conversely, accepted the verdict when it was announced on Tuesday.

"The federation wishes to recall that its approach has never been intended to challenge the sporting performance of the teams participating in this competition, but solely to request the application of the competition's regulations," the FRMF's statement read.

"The federation reaffirms its commitment to respecting the rules, ensuring clarity in the competitive framework, and maintaining stability within African competitions."

The controversy began when Senegal was denied a stoppage-time goal due to a foul that was called in the build-up. Moments later, referee Jean-Jacques Ndala Ngambo awarded Morocco a penalty kick following a VAR check when Senegal's El Hadji Malick Diouf was called for a foul in the box.

Many Senegal players walked off the field in protest at the encouragement of their coach, Pape Thiaw, leading to the delay. Meanwhile, some Senegalese fans tried to enter the field while fights broke out in the stands.

Once the Senegal players returned, Brahim Diaz's penalty kick was saved by Edouard Mendy. Senegal later won — at the time — 1-0 on an extra-time goal by Pape Gueye.

The CAF on Tuesday cited articles 82 and 84 in AFCON regulations, the former calling for a forfeit if a team leaves the pitch before the match's conclusion without the referee's authorisation.

Article 84 calls for forfeits to be recorded as 3-0 victories unless the winning team had an even bigger advantage in the score.

There was fallout later in January, as Senegal's coach, Thiaw, was suspended for five matches and fined $US100,000 ($142,000) for "unsporting conduct" after he told his team to leave the pitch.

The CAF also fined Senegal's federation $US615,000 due to the team's conduct and the behaviour of its fans. Senegal players Iliman Ndiaye and Ismaila Sarr were banned for two CAF matches following unprofessional behaviour toward the referee.

The suspensions only apply to official CAF matches, not to the FIFA World Cup, which begins in June.

As for Morocco, captain Achraf Hakimi received a two-match CAF ban for his "unsporting behaviour" during the final. Teammate Ismael Saibari was also suspended for three official CAF matches and fined $100,000.

The Moroccan soccer federation was also fined a total of $US315,000 for the behaviour of its players and staff as well as fans for using lasers as a means to distract the opposition in the final. The penalty also included the behaviour of the ball boys, who were spotted taking away a hand towel from the Senegalese goalkeeper during the match.

Reuters