Morocco was astonishingly granted the Africa Cup of Nations championship on Tuesday after appellate judges reversed Senegal’s victory from a chaotic final held in January.
The Confederation of African Football announced its appeals panel determined Senegal was “deemed to have forfeited the Final,” turning their 1-0 extra-time win into a 3-0 default win for the host country, Morocco.
During the January 18 final in Rabat, Senegalese players walked off the pitch in protest during injury time for a period of 15 minutes, and spectators attempted to rush the field when a penalty was awarded to Morocco.
Upon the resumption of play, Moroccan forward Brahim Díaz’s penalty attempt was blocked, and Senegal subsequently scored the singular goal in the additional period.
At an initial disciplinary proceeding, CAF imposed fines exceeding $1 million and issued bans for both Senegalese and Moroccan players and officials, but the match result was not changed at that time.
The situation may proceed to another appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport, located in Lausanne, Switzerland.
