The Confederation of African Football (Caf) has sensationally stripped Senegal of their Africa Cup of Nations title, awarding a 3-0 victory to Morocco in the final. The unprecedented ruling came after Senegal's head coach, Pape Thiaw, and several players left the pitch for 15 minutes in protest at a penalty awarded to Morocco during the match in Rabat in January.
The players eventually returned after being urged back by captain Sadio Mané. Brahim Díaz's subsequent penalty was saved, sending the match into extra time, where Pape Gueye scored the winning goal for Senegal. However, Caf's appeal board decided that Senegal had forfeited the match under article 84 of the competition's regulations, citing a breach of article 82 by the Senegalese Football Federation.
Senegal are expected to appeal the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Defender Moussa Niakhaté, who played in the final, appeared to criticise the ruling on Instagram, posting a picture of himself holding the trophy with the caption: 'Come and get them. They are crazy.'
The Moroccan football federation welcomed the decision, stating that their approach was never to challenge sporting performance but to ensure the application of competition regulations. Almost a million supporters had lined the streets of Dakar to celebrate Senegal's second Afcon title before the ruling.
