AfriPulse
Morocco has formally petitioned both the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and FIFA over incidents involving Senegalese players and supporters during the dramatic Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) final in Rabat.
In a statement issued on Monday, the Moroccan Football Federation confirmed it had referred the matter to the two football governing bodies following protests by Senegal during added time of Sunday night’s final, after a penalty was awarded to Morocco.
The protest forced the match to be halted for nearly 20 minutes as Senegalese players, visibly furious with the decision, walked off the pitch in defiance.
Tensions also spilled into the stands, where some Senegalese fans at the far end of the stadium reportedly threw chairs and other objects, with attempts made to invade the field of play.
According to Morocco’s football federation, the disturbances “had a significant impact on the normal course of the match and on the players’ performance,” noting that Morocco later missed the penalty which could have secured the hosts their first African title in 50 years.
The federation added that “it will resort to legal procedures” with CAF, the tournament organisers, and FIFA “in order to rule on the withdrawal of the Senegalese national team from the field”… “as well as on the events that accompanied this decision”.
Morocco further insisted that the referee’s call was justified, saying the decision to award the Atlas Lions a penalty was “deemed correct by unanimous opinion of specialists”.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino also weighed in, condemning “some Senegal players” for what he described as “unacceptable scenes”.
After the players eventually returned to the pitch following an appeal from Senegal captain and star forward Sadio Mane, Senegal went on to score the game’s only goal just four minutes into extra time.
Meanwhile, several Moroccan media outlets on Monday criticised Senegal over what they described as a lack of fair play and unsporting conduct during the high-stakes final.
Source: NationalAccordNewspaper | Read the Full Story…
