African football shock: Morocco awarded afcon title two months after final

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has ruled in favor of Morocco, awarding the team the African Nations Cup title following Senegal’s forfeiture of the final, as announced by the governing body on Tuesday evening.

The decision stems from an incident during the January 18 final, where Senegalese players left the pitch on the orders of coach Pape Thiaw after a controversial penalty was awarded to Morocco in added time. After prolonged delays, Morocco’s Brahim Diaz missed the penalty in regular time, leading to extra time where Senegal’s Pape Gueye scored the winning goal.

The Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) filed an appeal with CAF’s Appeals Board, which deemed the appeal “admissible and well-founded.” The board stated that “Senegal’s conduct falls under the scope of Articles 82 and 84 of the African Nations Cup Regulations.”

CAF’s ruling: “It has been established that the Senegalese Football Federation, through the actions of its team, violated Article 82 of the African Nations Cup Regulations. Pursuant to Article 84, Senegal’s team is declared to have forfeited the match, with the result recorded as a 3-0 victory for the Royal Moroccan Football Federation.”

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