Senegal’s football authorities have announced plans to
challenge the decision to strip the country of its Africa Cup of Nations
(AFCON) title by filing an appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS)
in Lausanne.
In a strongly worded statement, the Senegalese
Football Federation condemned the ruling by the Confederation of African
Football (CAF), describing it as “unjust, unprecedented, and unacceptable,” and
warning that it damages the reputation of African football.
Senegal had originally won the final, with Pape Gueye
scoring the decisive goal in extra time. However, the match was overshadowed by
controversy after the team briefly walked off the pitch during the regulation
90 minutes in protest.
The protest was triggered by two key decisions: the
disallowing of Ismaila Sarr’s goal and a late penalty awarded to Morocco
following a VAR review. Head coach Pape Thiaw was seen urging his players to
leave the field, and the team temporarily withdrew before returning
approximately 15 minutes later. Morocco’s Brahim Diaz went on to miss the
penalty, sending the match into extra time.
Despite Senegal’s eventual win on the pitch, CAF later
ruled that the team had violated tournament regulations by leaving the field
without the referee’s approval. Citing Articles 82 and 84 of the AFCON
regulations, CAF declared Senegal to have forfeited the match, awarding Morocco
a 3-0 victory and the title.
The regulations state that any team that refuses to
continue a match or leaves the pitch prematurely without authorisation will be
considered to have lost and may be eliminated from the competition.
In response, Senegal’s football federation confirmed
it will pursue legal action at CAS “as soon as possible” in a bid to overturn
the decision and restore the title.
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