Morocco have been awarded a 3-0 victory in this year's Africa Cup of Nations final after Senegal were sensationally stripped of the title in an unprecedented ruling by the Confederation of African Football (Caf).
The Caf appeal board announced on Tuesday evening that Senegal are “declared to have forfeited the final” that was held in Rabat in January. The decision stems from an incident in which Senegal's head coach, Pape Thiaw, and some players left the pitch for 15 minutes in protest at Morocco being awarded a penalty. They eventually returned after being implored by captain Sadio Mané, with Brahim Díaz's spot-kick saved, sending the match into extra time, where Pape Gueye scored the winning goal.
At an initial disciplinary hearing, Caf imposed fines exceeding $1m and bans on players and officials from both teams, but left the result unchanged. However, the appeal board ruled that Senegal infringed article 82 of the Afcon regulations, leading to the forfeiture under article 84. The Moroccan football federation welcomed the decision, stating it sought only to enforce competition rules.
Senegal are expected to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Defender Moussa Niakhaté, who played in the final, criticised the ruling on Instagram, posting a picture of himself holding the trophy with the caption: “Come and get them. They are crazy.” Almost a million supporters had lined the streets of Dakar to celebrate Senegal's second Afcon title a day after the final.
