Football scandal: Morocco crowned African champions two months after losing the final

BarcelonaScandal in African football. The Appeals Board of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) ruled today that Senegal is no longer the champion of the last African Nations Cup. Morocco, the team that lost the final, is now the new champion. The Board declared Senegal forfeited the final, which they had won 1-0 in extra time, considering that the team abandoned the match and therefore lost 3-0.

The final was highly controversial. After days of complaints from some teams about refereeing bias favoring Morocco, the tournament's host country, the referee disallowed a Senegalese goal in the 89th minute for a prior foul. Then, in the final minute, he awarded a highly dubious penalty to Morocco. Congolese referee Jean-Jacques Ngambo Ndala deemed a foul afoot in a play between El Hadji Diouf and Brahim Díaz, who fell to the ground. Outraged, the Senegalese players left the pitch, and after more than 25 minutes of arguments and debate, they agreed to return. Brahim, the Real Madrid player, could have secured the title for Morocco with a goal, but his shot was saved by Édouard Mendy, the Senegalese goalkeeper. In extra time, Pape Gueye scored the winning goal for Senegal, who were finally able to celebrate their victory in a heated match where Senegalese substitutes were hit by objects. In addition, images went viral on social media showing ball boys and local fans trying to steal the towel that the Senegalese goalkeeper used to keep his gloves dry.

The Royal Moroccan Football Federation has issued a statement affirming that its "position has never been intended to question the sporting performance of the teams participating in this competition, but only to request the application of the competition regulations. The Federation reaffirms its commitment to respecting the rules, the clarity of the competitive framework, and preserving stability in competitions. This edition of the Africa Cup of Nations has been an important moment for African football." Morocco will be one of the three hosts of the 2030 World Cup, along with Spain and Portugal.

The CAF tribunal has ruled that the minutes during which the Senegalese players left the field should be considered as if they had abandoned the match, resulting in a 3-0 loss for Senegal. Senegal has already announced it will appeal to the Court of Justice for Sport. The Senegalese national team violated Articles 82 and 84 of the Africa Cup of Nations regulations. The former states that "if a team refuses to play or leaves the field before the end of the match without the referee's permission, they will be considered to have forfeited." The tribunal also upheld financial penalties against the Moroccan federation for organizational failures and VAR issues. Some Senegalese players have reacted on social media with messages reminding everyone that they won the tournament on the pitch, sharing images of their return to Dakar with the trophy. The local federation maintains that the cup is theirs and will fight in court to have it recognized as such.