Morocco have been declared Africa Cup of Nations champions after their appeal to the Confederation of African Football's disciplinary committee over the result of January's final was upheld, African football's governing body said on Tuesday.
Morocco lost the match in Rabat 1-0 to Senegal after extra time, but not before Senegal had staged a walk-off after having a penalty awarded against them near the end of regulation time.
The match resumed after the walk-off with Senegal scoring in extra time, but CAF's Appeal Board decided that Senegal had forfeited the match, with the result now being recorded as 3–0 in favour of Morocco.
CAF’s disciplinary board had rejected Morocco’s initial protest, but the appeal board found in their favour, although Senegal quickly said they would be taking the matter to the Swiss-based Court of Arbitration for Sport, seeking to overturn Tuesday's decision.
The Appeal Board found the conduct of the Senegal team fell "within the scope of Articles 82 and 84 of the Regulations of the Africa Cup of Nations", which state that "if, for any reason whatsoever, a team refuses to play or leaves the ground before the regular end of the match without the authorisation of the referee, it shall be considered the loser and shall be eliminated for good from the current competition".
Senegal stormed off the field in protest at a penalty awarded against them near the end of the 90 minutes of regulation time, following a VAR check by Congolese referee Jean-Jacques Ndala after Brahim Diaz had been tugged to the ground by Senegal fullback El Hadji Malick Diouf while defending a corner five minutes into stoppage time.
Officials and players jostled with each other while the referee consulted the touchline screen, and when he made his decision, Senegal walked off.
They returned to beat hosts Morocco 1-0 after extra time and win the Africa Cup of Nations amid farcical scenes.
Senegal coach Pape Bouna Thiaw ordered his players off, and it was talisman Sadio Mane who persuaded them to return.
Thiaw was later suspended, although only for matches in the next Cup of Nations qualifiers, which start after the World Cup in June, for which both Morocco and Senegal have qualified.
Tuesday’s decision means Morocco are crowned African champions for the second time, 50 years after they won the Cup of Nations for the first time.
In a statement, the Royal Moroccan Football Federation "acknowledges the decision" and said it wished to reiterate that its approach was never intended to contest the sporting performance of the teams participating in this competition, but solely to request the application of the competition regulations.
"The Federation reaffirms its commitment to respecting the rules, the clarity of the competitive framework, and the stability of African competitions," it added, promising a more formal response on Wednesday.
Senegal's actions were heavily criticised and seen as a major blight on an otherwise successful tournament. Morocco’s coach Walid Regragui has since quit just months before they head to the World Cup.
CAF also announced the setting aside of a US$100,000 (€86,600) fine on Morocco striker Ismael Saibari and a reduction of his suspension to one match for his role in a tussle with Senegal players near the end of the game.
CAF also said the fine imposed on Morocco for the incident in which ball boys attempted to steal the towel of the Senegal goalkeeper next to his goal was reduced to $50,000 (€43.3K).
But the fine of $100,000 (€86.6K) imposed on Morocco as their players and officials attempted to interfere in the VAR process stands.
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