The Moroccan Football Federation announced on Monday that it has formally petitioned both CAF and FIFA to take action regarding the conduct of Senegalese players and fans during Sunday’s Africa Cup of Nations final.
The federation’s grievance stems from a nearly 20-minute disruption in stoppage time, caused when the Senegalese team staged a walk-off to protest a penalty awarded to the hosts.
During the standoff, some Senegalese supporters “threw chairs and other objects and attempted to get onto the field of play.”
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Moroccan officials argued that these disruptions “had a significant impact on the normal course of the match and on the players’ performance,” noting that Morocco subsequently missed the spot-kick that could have secured their first continental title in five decades.
Determined to seek redress, the federation stated “it will resort to legal procedures” with international governing bodies “in order to rule on the withdrawal of the Senegalese national team from the field” and to address the “events that accompanied this decision.”
They further defended the match officials, asserting that the penalty decision was “deemed correct by unanimous opinion of specialists.”
The fallout follows a victory for Senegal, who returned to the pitch after an appeal from Sadio Mane and scored the winning goal in extra time.
However, the victory remains under a cloud of controversy, with FIFA President Gianni Infantino condemning the “unacceptable scenes” and various Moroccan media outlets accusing Senegal of a “lack of fair play and unsporting behaviour.”
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