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Senegal have lodged an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport over the decision to strip them of the Africa Cup of Nations title and hand the trophy to Morocco, the Swiss-based tribunal confirmed Wednesday.
“The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) confirms receipt of an appeal by the Senegalese Football Federation (FSF) against the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and the Royal Moroccan Football Federation,” the CAS said in a statement.
Senegal are hoping to overturn the decision by African football’s governing body to strip them of the title after several of their players walked off the pitch in protest at a penalty awarded to Morocco during the Cup of Nations final on January 18, which the Senegalese side went on to win 1-0 in extra-time.
CAF announced on March 17 that it had upheld an appeal by the Moroccan Football Federation, saying that Senegal had infringed tournament regulations by walking off.
As a result, it declared Senegal to have forfeited the match, turning its 1-0 victory into a 3-0 defeat, making hosts Morocco the champions.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport said Senegal’s appeal “seeks to set aside the CAF decision and declare the FSF winners of AFCON”.
CAS Director General Matthieu Reeb added: “We understand that teams and fans are eager to know the final decision, and we will ensure that arbitration proceedings are conducted as swiftly as possible, while respecting the right of all parties to a fair hearing.”
Chaotic scenes
The final flashpoint came when Morocco were awarded a hotly contested spot-kick in injury time with the game goalless.
The penalty was given by Congolese referee Jean-Jacques Ndala right at the end of the allotted eight added minutes in normal time following a VAR check for a challenge on Brahim Diaz by El Hadji Malick Diouf.
Some Senegalese supporters attempted a pitch invasion out of anger, while Senegal’s players halted the game for nearly 20 minutes to protest the penalty award.
After Senegal’s players eventually returned having been coaxed back onto the pitch by Sadio Mane, Morocco’s Diaz took the kick but his penalty was saved.
Pape Gueye then went on to score the goal in extra-time that gave Senegal a 1-0 victory, and their second continental title after their maiden triumph in 2022.
The Moroccan Federation reacted to CAF’s decision to overturn the result by saying it had “never intended to contest the sporting performance of the teams participating in this competition, but solely to request the application of the competition regulations”.
CAF president Patrice Motsepe has said he supports the right of African countries to make appeals to CAS, saying the continent’s football governing body would “respect the decision which is taken at the highest level”.
In the immediate aftermath of the final, FIFA president Gianni Infantino, who attended the match, had condemned “some Senegal players” for the “unacceptable scenes”.
Both Senegal and Morocco are in action this week playing friendly matches as they prepare for the upcoming World Cup.
Senegal play Peru at the Stade de France in Paris on Saturday, while Morocco — who have a new coach following the recent appointment of Mohamed Ouahbi to replace Walid Regragui — face Ecuador in Madrid on Friday and then take on Paraguay in Lens, France, on March 31.