Following the incidents that marred the Lions' victory over Morocco in the AFCON final this Sunday, sanctions against the Senegalese team are looming. Coach Pape Bouna Thiaw is particularly under scrutiny, as the Moroccan Football Federation has already filed complaints with the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and FIFA. Both bodies have set the tone by condemning the coach's decision, along with that of some of his teammates, to temporarily leave the pitch at the Rabat stadium.

Pape Thiaw and the World Cup

A suspension for Pape Thiaw is looming. However, this sanction should only concern matches under the CAF banner and not those organized by the supreme body of world football, FIFA, notably the World Cup scheduled for next June (United States, Canada, Mexico) and friendly matches.

Indeed, in this matter, there is the precedent set by Nigeria, the defending champions after winning the Africa Cup of Nations in 1994, who refused to participate in the 1996 tournament in South Africa due to diplomatic tensions between the two countries. The Nigerian team was suspended from the 1998 Africa Cup of Nations in Burkina Faso. However, this did not prevent them from playing in the 1998 World Cup qualifiers and participating in the tournament in France.

Another case is that of Morocco, suspended by CAF from the 2017 and 2019 Africa Cup of Nations after refusing to honor its commitment to host the 2015 edition due to the Ebola epidemic. Not only did the sanctions not apply to the World Cup qualifiers, but the Court of Arbitration for Sport subsequently overturned them.

To these disputes on the African continent, we can add the Brazil-Argentina match of November 2023, which some media outlets have recalled, during which Lionel Messi urged his teammates to leave the pitch at the Maracanã stadium just before kickoff due to violence between police and fans in the stands. The sanctions were relatively light: a fine of approximately 14 million CFA francs, and Messi was acquitted, claiming that his decision was intended to ease tensions.

What happened on Sunday in Rabat is certainly a different case, but the aforementioned precedents can be mentioned, if necessary, in the defense of Senegal heading towards the World Cup, especially after the Moroccans filed a complaint with FIFA in addition to CAF.

Also, some words used by FIFA President Gianni Infantino after the final suggest that, despite this appeal from Morocco, Senegal can escape a FIFA sanction and therefore go to the World Cup with coach Pape Thiaw, even if he has to serve his possible suspension (as well as those that could befall other members of the team and the FSF) from the qualifiers of the next AFCON.

In his response, Gianni Infantino stated: "I expect the CAF disciplinary bodies to take the appropriate measures." By not mentioning FIFA's disciplinary bodies, he gives us hope that they will not act on Morocco's complaint and will leave the CAF to decide alone within its jurisdiction (official competitions in Africa only).

Sanctions against Morocco

If Senegal has exposed itself to sanctions, Morocco should not escape them either. The laser incidents involving Édouard Mendy (the use of lasers from the stands against Mohamed Salah had earned Senegal sanctions after the second leg of the World Cup qualifying playoff against Egypt), the throwing of projectiles onto the pitch, the shocking images of the Senegalese goalkeeper's towels being stolen, and the physical violence against his replacement, Yehvann Diouf, which have since gone viral, should lead to sanctions for Morocco if the CAF still wants to claim any semblance of fairness.

The Senegalese Football Federation could have already officially demanded these sanctions in response to the statement from its Moroccan counterpart. However, it is clear that, for the time being, diplomacy has taken precedence over all other considerations, with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs issuing conciliatory messages that reaffirm the fraternal ties between the two countries. This stance can be explained by the need to maintain calm dialogue and close collaboration with the Moroccan authorities given the urgent need to secure the release of our compatriots detained in Rabat since Sunday and, more broadly, to protect Senegalese nationals residing in Morocco.