The incredible epilogue casts a shadow over all of African football. And in 2030 Morocco will host the FIFA World Cup together with Spain and Portugal.
Brahim Diaz’s tears after the penalty shot into the mouth of the opposing goalkeeper. The celebration of the Senegal players with the trophy in their hands, the blind fights between their fans and the Moroccan police, the blank stare of Mr. Jean Jacques Ndala, the referee besieged after having awarded a penalty that was at least dubious to the home team at the last second, the one then missed by Diaz. The disappointment of the King of Morocco in the stands, the wide eyes of the president of FIFA, Gianni Infantino. All fake. Nothing happened.
Two months after the night at the Moulay Abdallah stadium in Rabat, Morocco, the African Cup of Nations has changed hands, passing from the hands of Senegal, victorious on the pitch, to those of Morocco, defeated in a final so crazy that it is destined for the history books. Verdict overturned by the CAF Appeals Commission which is none other than the African confederation, the UEFA of the black continent. Senegal won, but the cup will go to Morocco assuming that the Senegalese federation is willing to accept the verdict not before having completed the final stage of appeal before the CAS of Lausanne.
A one-of-a-kind ruling that makes it perfectly clear how much African football still needs to grow beyond the values on the pitchwhich are excellent as demonstrated by an edition of the Africa Cup which saw dozens of star footballers involved in Europe’s top leagues. Modern stadiums, ready to host part of the 2030 World Cup with Spain and Portugal, an organization that as the days passed began to operate at full capacity until the day of the final. Everything went haywire there.
The CAF Appeals Commission overturned the camp’s verdict because in the excited minutes of the awarding of the penalty to Morocco, which was then missed by Brahim Diaz and awarded after a legitimate goal for the guests had just been disallowed, Senegal left the pitch in protest. An extreme act which was interpreted by the CAF second degree judges as a forfeit resulting in a 0-3 forfeit loss of the match. The mediation work of the wise Sadio Manè who had convinced his teammates to return despite the discouragement was useless, a move that served at least to avoid the mockery of a possible exclusion due to disqualification from next summer’s World Cup.
In reality, Morocco’s appeal had been rejected at first instance also because the Senegalese desertion had not ended up in the referee’s report for the evening. Morocco, however, did not abandon the legal battle, taking it to the appeal commission where it was right. Now the Tas of Lausanne even if it will take months to reach a synthesis, but the climate is hot and just take a look at how the decision to overturn everything was taken in Dakar and its surroundings.
Thus Abdoulaye Seydou Sow, general secretary of the Senegalese Football Federation: “This decision is a farce that is not based on any legal basis. We had the impression that the commission was not there to apply the law, but to carry out an order.” And defender Moussa Niakhaté: “Come and get it! They’re crazy!”. The impression is that it’s just the coming soon…
