Senegal instruct lawyers, while CAF’s Motsepe defends Morocco’s AFCON award

The Senegalese Football Federation has instructed its lawyers to lodge an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) after the national team were stripped of its Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) title.

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) on Tuesday reversed Senegal’s win, awarding the title to Morocco two months after the final.

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“Senegal will remain standing and will legitimately defend this victory on the field, which we acquired on the field with the talent of our players”, the federation’s president, Abdoulaye Fall, told a news conference.

“We have given our lawyers a mandate to pursue this procedure at the level of the Court of Arbitration for Sport”, he added.

The continent’s showpiece football final, in Rabat on January 18, descended into chaos when several Senegalese players walked off the pitch in protest after the hosts were awarded a penalty late in second-half stoppage time.

Senegal’s players were coaxed back onto the pitch by captain Sadio Mane, but Morocco missed the penalty. Pape Gueye went on to score the goal in extra time that gave Senegal a 1-0 victory.

CAF said that, having studied an appeal by Morocco, “the Senegal national team is declared to have forfeited the match” and the result was “officially recorded as 3-0” in favour of Morocco.

Asked what would happen to the trophy in the meantime, Fall told reporters the team would “comply with the statutory and regulatory provisions of CAF”.

The revocation of the win elicited a strong response from fans in Senegal, where authorities called for an “independent international investigation” into corruption.

In a resolution issued by the federation’s executive committee and read at the news conference, the federation said it would “use all possible legal, institutional and jurisdictional means to assert its rights and restore sporting fairness”.

Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye appeared in his office in front of the Africa Cup of Nations trophy in a social media post on Wednesday, expressing his “outrage” at CAF’s decision.

The Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF), meanwhile, has said the decision “upholds the rules and ensures the stability necessary for the smooth running of international competitions.”

African football ⁠remains plagued by trust issues and questions over its integrity, CAF President Patrice Motsepe has admitted after Senegal was stripped of the AFCON title.

Motsepe did, however, defend the decision of his organisation’s Appeal Board to award the title to Morocco after upholding their protest against the outcome of the final.

While Morocco’s initial protest had been rejected by CAF’s Disciplinary Board, the same governing body’s Appeal Board found Senegal had transgressed tournament regulations by staging a walkoff and handed ‌Morocco the title.

“I previously expressed my extreme disappointment with the incidents that took place at the final,” Motsepe said in a video statement released on Wednesday evening.

“It undermines the good work that CAF has done over many, many years to ensure that there’s integrity, there’s respect, there’s ethics, there’s governance, as well as the credibility of the results of our football matches.

“We are still dealing with suspicion and mistrust. It’s a legacy issue. When I became president, one of the major concerns was the impartiality, independence and the ⁠respect of referees and match commissioners, and a lot of good work has been ⁠done,” he insisted.

Motsepe highlighted that both of CAF’s disciplinary and appeal boards were independent entities, made up of legal practitioners, chosen with the help of member associations. Senegal’s government called for an independent international investigation of the decision, alleging corruption within CAF.

“It is important that the decisions of our Disciplinary Board and Appeals Board are viewed with respect ⁠and integrity,” he said.

“If you look at the composition of those bodies, they reflect some of the most respected lawyers and judges on the continent.

“But we will ⁠still have to deal with this perception and concerns about the ⁠integrity. It’s an ongoing issue.”

Motsepe, who was chosen as CAF president in 2021 and re-elected one year ago, said CAF was committed to fair play and denied there was any preferential treatment amid perceptions that Morocco has too much sway over the African game.

“I’m told that Senegal ‌is going to appeal, which is very important. Every one of the 54 nations in Africa have a right to pursue appeals, and we will adhere and respect the decision that’s taken at the highest level.

“A critical ‌factor ‌is that not a single country in Africa will be treated in a manner that is more preferential, or more advantageous, or more favourable than any other country on the African continent,” the South African billionaire mining magnate added.