Dakar en colère, Rabat jubile : Tout comprendre à l'affaire qui secoue le football africain
Two months after celebrating their second star in the Africa Cup of Nations, the Senegalese woke up Wednesday morning to the shocking news of the Confederation of African Football's (CAF) decision to strip their country of its title, in favor of Morocco.
The governing body announced on Tuesday evening that it had decided to "declare the national team of Senegal forfeit the final", which was won 1-0 (after extra time) by the Lions of Teranga, "with the result being approved with a score of 3-0" in favor of the host country of the event.
“The biggest continental farce,” “Ridiculous!” “The joke of the century!” “Scandalous!”: newspaper headlines competed with superlatives in the wake of this bombshell. The news, widely discussed, also set social media ablaze in Senegal, two months after their team’s triumphant return following the dramatic final played on January 18 in Rabat.
"They're crazy!"
The decision provoked strong reactions among the Senegalese players. Defender Moussa Niakhaté, who plays for Olympique Lyonnais, posted a photo on Instagram of himself lifting the Africa Cup and wearing a medal, with the comment: "Come and get them! They're crazy!"
For its part, the government denounced the decision as "exceptionally serious" and "grossly illegal," calling for an international investigation "into suspected corruption within the CAF's governing bodies." In Dakar, upon learning of the loss of the title, Assiétou Diallo told AFP that she "laughed," thinking it was a (bad) joke.
"It's a disgrace. An AFCON is won on the field and we won it, we deserved it. Morocco didn't score a single goal," fumed the 25-year-old accounting assistant, hoping that the Senegalese federation would do everything to keep the title.
"Shame on Africa"
For Gora Ndiaye, a 48-year-old rideshare driver in Dakar, this decision is a "disgrace for Africa." "It's a real slap in the face," adds Marc Diop, 50, a bank employee, interviewed in downtown Dakar: "Everyone has seen that on the ground, it's a clear and decisive victory for Senegal."
During this chaotic final, several Senegalese players temporarily left the pitch in protest against a penalty awarded to Morocco. After 15 minutes of confusion before the Senegalese players returned to the field, and amidst chaos that spilled into the stands with Senegalese fans throwing projectiles and attempting to invade the pitch, Moroccan winger Brahim Diaz missed the decisive penalty. In extra time, Senegal emerged victorious thanks to a goal from Pape Gueye.
At the end of January, the CAF disciplinary committee, without challenging the final result, imposed a series of disciplinary sanctions, including fines amounting to several hundred thousand euros, on the federations of both countries for unsportsmanlike conduct. However, on Tuesday evening, the CAF appeals committee justified its decision by referring to articles 82 and 84 of the AFCON regulations, according to which if a team "refuses to play or leaves the field before the scheduled end of the match," "it will be considered the loser and will be definitively eliminated from the current competition."
"General frustration"
Upon leaving the pitch, "the reaction of the Senegalese was a bit excessive," admits Isaac Ndiaye, 38, one of the few people interviewed who didn't express astonishment. However, this administrative worker acknowledges the "general frustration": "We lost a cup we'd already celebrated," Senegal's second continental title after 2021. "Corruption has finally won," fumes Daouda Seck, a Senegalese supporter.
A few thousand kilometers further north, in Morocco, the CAF's decision didn't spark outbursts of joy, just days before the end of Ramadan. But it "has delighted all Moroccans," rejoiced Mohamed Amine Boujdaini, 53, interviewed in Rabat. For this lawyer, "the cup is returning to its rightful home."
The Senegalese Football Federation (FSF) denounced "an unfair, unprecedented, and unacceptable decision," indicating that it would initiate an appeal process before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), based in Lausanne, "as soon as possible." "The Senegalese people are all angry, and we hope that the CAS will make the right decision," summarized Aïssatou Ndiaye, 50.
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