Senegal has been punished with a defeat in the Africa Cup of Nations final by the Confederation of African Football (CAF), which decided to award the title to hosts Morocco, who had lost the decisive match 1-0.
The decision stems from Senegal’s players abandoning the pitch and heading to the dressing rooms in added time of normal time of the match played on January 18, before eventually returning to play, in protest at the referee awarding a penalty to Morocco.
Read more about this topic: Senegal stun hosts Morocco to win AFCON final marred by ugly scenes
In Rabat, before a packed stadium, Brahim Díaz attempted to finish the match with a Panenka penalty but delivered the ball softly into the goalkeeper’s hands, requiring no effort to save. In extra time, Pape Gueye scored the only goal to give Senegal a rare victory — winning a final against the host nation, something achieved in only three of the tournament’s 35 editions: Ghana in Tunisia in 1965 and in Libya in 1992, and Cameroon beating Nigeria in 2000 when the latter co-hosted the tournament with Ghana.
In addition to the 3-0 defeat by ruling, Senegal coach Pape Thiaw was suspended for five matches, and both federations were hit with heavy financial penalties.
