Senegal have been stripped of the Africa Cup of Nations title after the Confederation of African Football (Caf) ruled they forfeited the final against Morocco. The match, held in Rabat in January, saw Senegal's head coach Pape Thiaw and several players leave the pitch for 15 minutes in protest at a penalty awarded to Morocco. They returned after captain Sadio Mané urged them back, but Caf's appeal board has now overturned the result.
Caf announced on Tuesday that Senegal are declared to have forfeited the final, with the result recorded as a 3-0 win for Morocco. The decision was based on article 84 of the Afcon regulations, citing that Senegal infringed article 82 through the conduct of their team. Initial disciplinary hearings had imposed fines exceeding $1 million and bans on players and officials but left the result unchanged.
Senegal are expected to appeal the ruling to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Defender Moussa Niakhaté, who played in the final, criticised the decision on Instagram, posting a picture of himself holding the trophy with the caption: 'Come and get them. They are crazy.'
Morocco, who had not won the competition since 1976, were heavy favourites as hosts. The Moroccan football federation stated that their approach was solely to request the application of regulations, not to challenge the sporting performance of teams. Almost a million supporters had lined the streets of Dakar to celebrate Senegal's second Afcon title after the final.
