Senegal’s football authorities have announced plans to challenge the decision stripping the country of its Africa Cup of Nations title by filing an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
In a strongly worded statement, the Senegalese Football Federation criticized the ruling.
“The Senegalese Football Federation condemns this unjust, unprecedented, and unacceptable decision, which brings African football into disrepute,” it said.
“To defend its rights and the interests of Senegalese football, the federation will, as soon as possible, file an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne.”
Senegal had originally won the match, with Pape Gueye scoring the decisive goal in extra time. However, the match was marred by controversy after Senegal players walked off the pitch during regulation time in protest.
The team had protested two key decisions, including the disallowing of a goal by Ismaïla Sarr and a late penalty awarded to Morocco following VAR intervention.
Senegal’s manager, Pape Thiaw, was reported to have urged his players to leave the field. The team later returned after about 15 minutes, with Morocco’s Brahim Díaz missing the penalty, sending the game into extra time.
Despite the result on the pitch, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) ruled on Tuesday that Senegal had forfeited the match, awarding a 3-0 victory to Morocco and declaring them champions.
CAF’s Appeals Committee based its decision on Articles 82 and 84 of the AFCON regulations, which state that any team that refuses to continue a match or leaves the field without the referee’s approval will be deemed to have lost and will be eliminated from the competition.
The regulations further stipulate that such a team will forfeit the match with a 3-0 scoreline.
Senegal’s football authorities have reiterated their intention to challenge the ruling, maintaining that the decision is unjust and must be overturned.
