CAF IN EYE OF THE STORM

THE Africa Cup of Nations has been thrown into turmoil following sensational reports that Morocco were retrospectively awarded a 3-0 victory over Senegal in the final, despite the West Africans initially celebrating what appeared to be an on-field triumph.

Former England international and Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher did not mince words, describing the situation as “madness.”

Speaking on the unprecedented scenario, Carragher questioned how a team could lift the trophy only to have it taken away afterwards, insisting that finals should be settled on the pitch and not through administrative rulings after the fact.

“This would be unthinkable in major European competitions,” he added, sparking widespread discussion about the integrity of tournament governance in Africa.

Veteran coach Claude Le Roy has aimed a dig at the Confederation of African Football following their decision to take away the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations trophy from Senegal and declare Morocco as the champions.

“I couldn’t imagine for a second that the CAF could go so far down this path of absurdity,” said the 78-year-old Le Roy, who gained prominence at international level as coach to the Senegal, Cameroon, and Ghana national teams as quoted by WiwSport.

“But when you see how the CAF is run today by Patrice Motsepe, who is essentially Gianni Infantino’s lackey, you understand certain things better. From the start, some were determined to give the cup to Morocco. “Yet, even though Morocco had a very good AFCON and deserved to go far in the competition, in the final it was clearly Senegal who were the better team. No one could have imagined that we would hear such a decision two months later.” According to Le Roy, Senegal will not give up despite the ruling by CAF and further added the Lions of Teranga will fight to the end to have their rights restored.

“We’re in the middle of an election period, so we can imagine all sorts of things happening, only to ultimately decide that Morocco is the champion,” added Le Roy, who took charge of Senegal when they reached the quarter-final at the 1992 African Cup of Nations.

“I think this isn’t over yet, and Senegal will eventually have its rights restored. But, once again, it’s a disgrace to the image of the Confederation of African Football.

“I think that, initially, there will be an appeals committee, since this is a preliminary ruling.

“Then, depending on the outcome, the case could be taken to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. But I fear that this decision, unfortunately for a continent with so much potential, will be a laughingstock for the entire football world.”

Senegalese Football Federation has already protested the CAF decision as “unfair, unprecedented, and unacceptable,” believing it discredits African football.

“To defend the rights and interests of Senegalese football, the federation announces it will appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne, with an emergency procedure to be initiated as soon as possible,” read part of the statement.

“The Federation reaffirms its commitment to the values of integrity and sporting justice and will keep the public informed of the follow-up to this matter.” Apart from the Senegal versus Morocco verdict, CAF further confirmed the finding that Ismael Saibari (Player No. 11 of the Morocco national team) had committed misconduct in violation of Articles 82 and 83(1) of the CAF Disciplinary Code.

The sanction imposed on Saibari was therefore amended to a suspension of two (2) official CAF matches, of which one (1) match was suspended.

However, a fine of USD100 000, which was earlier imposed on Saibari, was set aside.

Amid the uproar, Senegal midfielder Idrissa Gana Gueye took a more measured stance.

While refraining from directly criticising the decision, Gueye emphasised the importance of unity and dignity, noting that trophies are temporary but the shared experience and safety of supporters remain paramount.

He praised the Senegalese spirit of “Teranga,” highlighting the team’s composure both in moments of victory and adversity.

In contrast, former Manchester United defender and ex-France international Patrice Evra expressed outrage, calling the situation a “disgrace” and a “scandal.”

Evra insisted that Senegal were the rightful winners based on their performance on the field, arguing that such a decision undermines the credibility of African football and tarnishes the reputation of the AFCON tournament.

The controversy has ignited intense debate over officiating, governance, and post-match decisions, with critics warning that if confirmed, the ruling could have long-lasting effects on the global perception of African competitions.

Fans across the continent and beyond now await official clarification, as questions linger about the circumstances behind this extraordinary decision. Football fans around the world were stunned on Tuesday as the CAF announced that Morocco are now the official Africa Cup of Nations champions and not Senegal.

CAF’s statement said its appeal board ruled Senegal was “declared to have forfeited the Final” and its 1-0 win in extra-time becomes a 3-0 default win for host nation Morocco.

In the January 18 final in Rabat, Senegal players, led by coach Pape Thiaw, left the field in protest during stoppage time for 15 minutes — and fans tried to storm the field — when Morocco was awarded a penalty that was set to decide the match.

Real Madrid’s Brahim Díaz missed the subsequent penalty, flubbing his Panenka attempt, and Senegal went on to win the match, and the tournament, in extra-time.

But those 15 minutes, when most of the team left the field, have come back to bite the Teranga Lions, and football fans had many thoughts on the ruling.

Senegal’s players were quick to jump on socials too, with captain Sadio Mané posting in his stories that, “The world knows the true champions”. Fans were also baffled by the amount of time it took to make the ruling, give CAF’s rules are clear on the matter.

But some pointed out that not everyone left the field, like Mane, so it was a grey area.

CAS Arbitrator backs Senegal

Meanwhile, Court of Arbitration for Sport Arbitrator Raymond Hack has said he expects the court to rule in favour of Senegal as they appeal the CAF Appeal Board verdict.

Hack told ESPN that due to Morocco having failed to lodge a protest prior to the end of the game and referee Jean-Jacques Ndala having kept the game going rather than stopping it, there was no basis for the Appeal Board siding with Morocco.

Hack told ESPN when asked if the Appeal Board had any legitimate basis for overturning the final result:

“No; not at all, because the referee is the final decision on the game and when he blows the whistle for the end of the game, that’s when the game ends.

“Yes, the team did go off, but they did come back on — and so did Morocco. When Morocco came on, nobody said: “We’re playing extra time under protest’ or anything.

“They played the 30 minutes — the 15 each way. “Had they said: ‘We’re playing the extra time under protest,” maybe they would have had something.”

The veteran administrator, who was previously South African Football Association CEO and a FIFA Disciplinary Committee member, believes that the CAS is likely to follow the precedent they set in awarding the CAF Champions League title to Espérance de Tunis.

In that instance, the court ruled against the CAF exco decision that the second leg should be replayed following Wydad’s walk-off over a disallowed goal amid faults in the VAR technology.

Hack added: “In my opinion, I don’t think the Court of Arbitration will uphold the decision of the Appeal Board because there’s precedent to it.

“In 2019, Wydad were in a similar situation in a CAF club championship, where CAS ruled that the referee’s decision is final. Only a referee can end a game. No matter what happens, only the referee can end it.”

Hack further opined that the CAF Appeal Board had improperly applied article 84 of the tournament rules in awarding a 3-0 win to Morocco. He argued its proper use could only have applied to teams who breached both articles 82 and 83, rather than merely one of the two.

Article 82 states: “If, for any reason whatsoever, a team withdraws from the competition or does not report for a match, or refuses to play or leaves the ground before the regular end of the match without the authorisation of the referee, it shall be considered looser (sic) and shall be eliminated for good from the current competition. The same shall apply for the teams previously disqualified by decision of CAF.”

According to Hack, Senegal may justifiably have been adjudged to have breached this article, but they did not breach article 83, which states: “A team that shall not be present on the ground, dressed to play at the time fixed for kick-off or at most 15 minutes later, shall forfeit the match.

“The referee shall register the absence of the team and shall write it in his report. The Organising Committee shall take the final decision in this respect.”

Hack explained: “They say it’s in terms of article 84 — well, 84 is very clear. It says that a team that contravenes the provisions of 82 and 83 shall be eliminated. It doesn’t say it [applies to a team which] contravenes the provisions of 82 or 83.

“It says both of them, and they certainly never contravened the provisions of article 83. In my opinion, I don’t think that Morocco will be declared the winners.” Hack added that until the CAS issues a verdict, which he expects to take at least six months, Senegal will not have to forfeit their AFCON medals or prize money.

He said: “That (re-issuing of prize money) won’t apply at this stage because nothing will pass until the matter is finally arbitrated by the Court of Arbitration. You can’t go and ask the players: “Please give back the medals; please give back the prize money now,” and there’s a possibility that the Court of Arbitration turn round whenever they do and say: “Pay it back.”

“This matter will take another six months before it’s resolved, but all it does is cast bad aspersions on the image of African football, which is something which obviously should never happen.” — ESP/Agencies.