Senegal says it will appeal against the “unfair, unprecedented and unacceptable decision” to strip it of the Africa Cup of Nations title after a chaotic final against hosts Morocco.
On Tuesday, the Appeal Board of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Ruling that Senegal has lost the final Walked off the field in extra time in January in protest against the penalty awarded to Morocco.
They later returned to the field, but their opponents missed a crucial penalty, but the board’s decision has now been changed. Senegal wins 1-0 Default to 3-0 win moroccoDue to which he became the winner of the tournament.
Now senegalese The government is promising to “pursue all appropriate legal avenues” to challenge the decision.
“This unprecedented and exceptionally serious decision directly contradicts the fundamental principles of sporting ethics, the most important of which are fairness, loyalty and respect for the integrity of the game,” the government said in a statement.
The statement described the decision as “grossly illegal and extremely unjust” and a “blatant misinterpretation of the rules”.
Similarly, the Senegalese Football Federation said the decision was “unfair, unprecedented and unacceptable” and “brings African football into disrepute”.
Senegal’s Sadio Mane celebrates after winning the Africa Cup of Nations, raising the trophy with his teammates. Photo: Reuters
The organization said it would appeal “as soon as possible” to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, Switzerland.
In justifying its decision, CAF cited Articles 82 and 84 of its Africa Cup of Nations regulations.
The pre-condition is that if a team refuses to play or leaves the field without the permission of the referee then it will lose the game and be eliminated from the tournament.
The latter article mandates a 3–0 win for the opposing team.
Senegal fans intrude onto the pitch, leading to clash with security personnel
However, the referee has “full authority” to decide what happens in a match under Law 5 of the International Football Association Board, which sets the rules of the game globally.
Read more:
Five game results that were overturned after Senegal drama
‘Until tech giants tackle online abuse, women may leave the game’
In its own statement, the Royal Moroccan Football Federation said that its appeal to CAF was “never about challenging the sporting performance of the teams”, “but only to ensure that the rules of the tournament are respected”.
“CAF acknowledges that the rules, known to all and applicable to all, were not respected,” it said.
