The final of the African Cup of Nations added an unexpected chapter two months after their dispute.
The African Football Confederation (CAF) decided to take away the title from Senegal and declare Morocco champion, after considering that the Senegalese team committed a regulatory violation.The match, played on January 18 in Rabat, ended with Senegal winning 1-0 in extra time. However, the Appeals Board determined that the African team left the field without referee authorization during the match, which constitutes a violation of articles 82 and 84 of the
regulations.“In application of Article 84 of the Regulations of the African Cup of Nations, it is declared that the Senegalese national team has lost the match due to inappearance, recording the result as 3-0 in favor of the Fédération Royale Marocaine de Football,” CAF said in its official statement.
The controversy originated in the final minutes of regulation time, when Senegal protested a sanctioned penalty for Morocco and temporarily withdrew from the field. After several minutes of uncertainty, the team returned, the penalty was taken by Edouard Mendy and, later, Pape Gueye scored the goal that gave the
