Senegal says it will appeal the “unfair, unprecedented, and unacceptable decision” to strip it of its Africa Cup of Nations title after a chaotic final against host Morocco.
On Tuesday, the appeals board of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) ruled that Senegal had forfeited the final in January by walking off the field in extra time to protest a penalty given to Morocco.
They subsequently returned to the field, only for their rivals to miss the crucial penalty, but now the board’s decision has turned Senegal’s 1-0 win into a default 3-0 victory for Morocco, making them the tournament’s winners.
Now the Senegalese government is pledging to “pursue all appropriate legal avenues” to challenge the ruling.
“This unprecedented and exceptionally serious decision directly contradicts the fundamental principles of sporting ethics, foremost among which are fairness, loyalty and respect for the truth of the game,” the government said in a statement.
The statement also branded the ruling “grossly illegal and deeply unjust” and a “manifestly erroneous interpretation of the regulations”.
Similarly, the Senegalese Football Federation said the decision was “unfair, unprecedented, and unacceptable” and “discredits African football”.
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The organisation said it would appeal “as soon as possible” to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, Switzerland.
Justifying its decision, the CAF referred to Articles 82 and 84 of its Africa Cup Regulations.
The former stipulates that a team will lose the game and be eliminated from the tournament if it refuses to play or leaves the field without the referee’s permission.
The latter article mandates a 3-0 win for the opposing team.
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.
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In its own statement, the Royal Moroccan Football Federation said its appeal to the CAF had “never been about challenging the sporting performance” of the teams, “but solely to ensure that the tournament rules are respected”.
“CAF has acknowledged that the rules, known to all and applicable to all, had not been respected,” it added.
