The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has punished Senegal and Morocco following the chaotic Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) final between both teams.
CAF suspended Senegal head coach, Pape Thiaw, for five matches and fined him $100,000 for unsporting behaviour. The punishment followed his decision to order his players off the pitch during the final against Morocco in protest over a refereeing decision.
CAF also fined the Senegal Football Federation $615,000 for the conduct of the team and the behaviour of Senegalese fans during the match. In addition, two Senegal players, Iliman Ndiaye and Ismaila Sarr, were handed two-match suspensions each for behaving improperly towards the referee.
Morocco was also punished for its role in the incident. The Moroccan Football Federation was fined a total of $315,000 for several offences, including poor behaviour by ball boys, Moroccan players and officials entering the VAR area, interfering with the referee, and the use of laser lights by fans.
Two Moroccan players, Achraf Hakimi and Ismael Saibari, were also suspended. Hakimi received a one-match ban, while Saibari was banned for two matches for throwing the towel of Senegal goalkeeper Eduard Mendy into the crowd during the rainy match.
CAF rejected Morocco’s appeal to have the match result overturned, despite Senegal’s lengthy walk-off during the game.
The controversy began late in the match when the referee, after checking VAR, awarded Morocco a penalty for a foul on Brahim Diaz. In protest, Coach Thiaw ordered his players and officials to leave the pitch and sit in the dugout.
The protest lasted nearly 20 minutes before the Senegal team returned to continue the match. During that time, clashes broke out in the stands between angry Senegal fans and stadium officials.
When play resumed, Senegal survived the penalty as Brahim Diaz’s spot kick was saved. Moments later, Pape Gueye scored a powerful goal that secured Senegal’s second AFCON title.
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