Morocco Declared AFCON Champions After Senegal's Walk-Off
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Senegal were sensationally stripped of the Africa Cup of Nations title on Tuesday as the Confederation of African Football (CAF) declared Morocco champions.
Several Senegalese players had controversially walked off the pitch in Rabat during the final on January 18 in protest when the host nation were awarded a penalty late in second-half stoppage time.
After Senegal's players eventually returned having being coaxed back onto the pitch by captain Sadio Mane, Morocco missed the penalty and Pape Gueye went on to score the goal in extra time that gave his team a 1-0 victory.
CAF said that having studied Morocco's appeal, 'the Senegal national team is declared to have forfeited the match,' and the result was 'officially recorded as 3-0' in favour of Morocco.
The CAF Appeals Committee justified its decision by applying Articles 82 and 84 of the AFCON Regulations, which state that if a team 'refuses to play or leaves the ground before the regular end of the match without the authorisation of the referee, it shall be considered (loser) and shall be eliminated for good from the current competition.'
The articles add that the team contravening the regulations 'will lose its match by 3-0.'
The Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) said in a statement its appeal 'was never intended to contest the sporting performance of the teams participating in this competition, but solely to request the application of the competition regulations.'
