The Confederation of African Football (Caf) has sensationally stripped Senegal of the Africa Cup of Nations title after the team walked off the pitch in protest during the final against Morocco in Rabat. Morocco have been awarded a 3-0 victory, overturning Senegal's earlier triumph.
In January, Senegal had won the final 1-0 after extra time, but the match was marred by a 15-minute walkout by head coach Pape Thiaw and several players. They protested against a penalty awarded to Morocco, which was saved by Senegal's goalkeeper. The team returned to the pitch only after captain Sadio Mané implored them to continue.
Caf's appeal board ruled that Senegal had forfeited the match under Article 84 of the competition regulations, citing a breach of Article 82 due to the team's conduct. The initial disciplinary hearing had imposed fines exceeding $1 million and bans on players and officials from both teams, but left the result intact.
Senegal are expected to appeal the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Defender Moussa Niakhaté, who played in the final, expressed his anger 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. Morocco, who had not won the competition since 1976, were heavy favourites as hosts. The Moroccan football federation stated that its approach was solely to request the application of regulations, not to challenge sporting performance.
