Senegal FA to appeal 'unfair' loss of Africa Cup title | OneFootball

The Senegalese Football Federation announced this Wednesday (18th) that it will appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) against the decision that stripped the title won by the country in the African Cup of Nations (CAN) and declared Morocco the winner.

“The Senegalese Football Federation denounces an unfair, unprecedented, and unacceptable decision that discredits African football,” it stated in a communiqué released on social media.

“To defend its rights and the interests of Senegalese football, the Federation will file an appeal with the CAS in Lausanne as soon as possible,” the note adds.

CAF Decision Strips Senegal of Title

The appeals committee of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) stripped Senegal of the title won in the CAN on January 18th and declared Morocco the winning country, announced the top African football entity on Tuesday night (17th).

CAF decided to “declare the Senegal team excluded during the final” won 1-0 by the Senegalese, “with the result officially recorded as 3-0” in favor of the Moroccan team, explains the communiqué.

On-field Protest Led to Punishment

Several Senegalese players temporarily left the field during the final in protest against a refereeing decision.

On January 18th, during the African Cup of Nations final in Rabat, Morocco, the ‘Lions of Teranga’ won a chaotic match 1-0.

After a penalty was awarded to the Moroccan team in stoppage time of the second half, shortly after a Senegal goal was disallowed, some Senegalese players briefly left the field before returning, while angry fans attempted to invade the pitch and threw objects.

See also: All news from Gazeta Esportiva Gazeta Esportiva YouTube Channel Follow Gazeta Esportiva on Instagram Join Gazeta Esportiva on WhatsApp

A Precedent

After the Moroccan winger from Real Madrid, Brahim Díaz, missed the penalty, taken with a ‘panenka’, the match went into extra time, which Senegal won thanks to a goal by Pape Gueye.

The CAF appeals committee justified its decision based on articles 82 and 84 of the CAN regulations, which state that if a team “refuses to play or abandons the field before the final whistle, it will be considered a loser and permanently eliminated from the competition.”

Morocco Cites Regulations and Historical Precedent

In a statement, the Moroccan Football Federation said its initiative “was never intended to question the sporting performance of the teams participating in this competition, but only to request the application of the regulations.”

A source close to the Moroccan Football Federation reminded AFP of a precedent in another African competition.

In 2019, Espérance Sportive de Tunis was declared the CAF Champions League winner, three months after Wydad Casablanca players left the field during the final in protest against a VAR decision.

Disciplinary Sanctions and Fan Case

At the end of January, the CAF disciplinary body, without questioning the final result of that match, imposed a series of disciplinary sanctions, including fines totaling hundreds of thousands of euros, on the federations of both countries for unsportsmanlike conduct and violations of fair play principles.

The appeal hearing for 18 Senegalese fans, detained since the final and sentenced to prison terms ranging from three months to one year for vandalism, which was scheduled for Monday, was postponed to March 30th.

*Content produced by AFP

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.