"Instructions secrètes" lors de Maroc-Sénégal : Les révélations chocs du patron des arbitres de la CAF
The Executive Committee of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), meeting Friday in Tanzania, reignited tensions surrounding the final of the last Africa Cup of Nations. According to the Qatari media outlet Winwin, cited by RMC, Olivier Safari, chairman of the CAF referees' committee, admitted that specific instructions had been given not to sanction the Senegalese players when the match was interrupted.
A recap of the events: a high-tension final
A month ago in Rabat, Senegal secured their second star by defeating Morocco (1-0, after extra time). However, the scoreline was almost overshadowed by several major incidents during the match. Just before the end of regulation time, furious at seeing a penalty awarded to Morocco after a goal disallowed for the Lions of Teranga, several Senegalese players stormed off the pitch at the urging of their coach, Pape Thiaw.
This 16-minute interruption and the disturbances in the stands had already led the CAF to impose heavy sanctions at the end of January:
The Senegalese Federation (FSF): fined $615,000.
Pape Thiaw: suspended for five matches and fined $100,000.
Iliman Ndiaye and Ismaïla Sarr: suspended for two matches.
"Preserve the game": instructions to avoid cards
The scandal has taken on a new dimension with the recent statements made by Olivier Safari during the Dar es Salaam Executive Committee meeting. He reportedly revealed an arbitrary application of the rules to avoid the final being abandoned: "Every Senegalese player who withdrew should have been warned immediately upon returning to the field, but we gave instructions not to do so, in order to preserve the match and not end it prematurely," Olivier Safari is said to have stated.
In short, the governing body allegedly deliberately asked referees to turn a blind eye to behavior that warranted yellow cards, fearing that a flurry of sanctions would lead to the exclusion of too many players and, by extension, the abandonment of the match by default.
If these statements are proven true, they risk fueling a new scandal within African football. While Morocco had already appealed the sanctions deemed insufficient, these revelations about "instructions" given to referees place President Patrice Motsepe in a delicate position, facing members demanding a profound reform of continental refereeing.
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