The chaotic scenes which tarnished Sunday’s Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) final will forever overshadow a tournament that had until that point been a great success for hosts Morocco, on and off the pitch.
Everything appeared set up for Walid Regragui’s Morocco side to cement their status as Africa’s preeminent footballing force as the continent’s top-ranked team made it to the final against Senegal in Rabat.
Home advantage unquestionably brought extra pressure on the 2022 FIFA World Cup semi-finalists, but it also perhaps played into their hands for the controversial penalty award at the end of normal time in the final.
Photo: AP
The decision by Congolese referee Jean-Jacques Ndala to give Morocco a spot-kick after a video assistant referee (VAR) check when Brahim Diaz went down under a challenge in the box infuriated Senegal players and supporters.
That lit the fuse for the chaos which ensued, as most of the Senegal team walked off under the instructions of their coach, Pape Thiaw, while away fans fought with security personnel and tried to enter the pitch.
The remarkable drama which followed, with Diaz having his penalty saved after a long delay and Pape Gueye then scoring the extra-time winner, allowed Senegal to take the trophy.
They now face sanctions from the Confederation of African Football, which said on Monday it would take “appropriate action” against those found guilty of “unacceptable behavior.”
That might impact their defense of the AFCON title at the next tournament in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda next year.
The behavior of Senegal, who will be at the World Cup in North America in June, was also criticized by FIFA president Gianni Infantino, and Thiaw apologized after the game.
“Sometimes you can react in the heat of the moment,” Thiaw told French television shortly before his post-match news conference was canceled when fighting broke out among journalists.
“Now we accept that referees do make mistakes, and we apologize,” he added.
Thiaw was slammed by Morocco coach Walid Regragui, who said: “You need to maintain your class in defeat and in victory. What Pape did does not honor Africa.”
The Lions of Teranga would not be too worried about the incidents right now as they celebrate a second AFCON triumph in three editions of a tournament they had never previously won.
They showed their quality on the pitch, with Sadio Mane still the leader of the team approaching his 34th birthday — it was he who urged his colleagues to return to the pitch.
Meanwhile, a new generation emerges with four starters in the final aged 22 or under, and Paris Saint-Germain winger Ibrahim Mbaye, 17, an exciting prospect off the bench.
It was a richly successful campaign for them to take to the US, Mexico and Canada, where group-stage opponents include France and Norway.
Morocco will also be at the World Cup as they look to turn the page and bounce back from this disappointment.
It had been a smooth tournament all around up to the final, with Morocco boasting some magnificent stadiums and pitches, raising the standards across the board for the AFCON.
An ambitious project to build a 115,000-seat stadium near Casablanca, served by high-speed rail, is well under way as the country prepares to cohost the 2030 FIFA World Cup.
On the pitch, the continent’s two leading sides reaching the final made for a more attractive showpiece on paper, but the lack of shocks and the general predictability of earlier rounds removed much excitement.
It also confirmed the flaws of a 24-team tournament, an imperfect number which removes excitement from the group stage — this would only be magnified at the 48-team World Cup to come.
Senegal had also pointed the finger at the Moroccans before the final as their players were offered little security while being mobbed by members of the public on arriving in Rabat on Friday.
FIFA would have to look into any organizational issues and ensure they are not repeated during the World Cup.
Another issue for FIFA might also be that Sunday’s scenes looked like a rebellion against VAR.
Senegal’s players were so angry about the penalty award, because they had a goal of their own disallowed for a foul at the other end moments earlier — the infringement appeared soft, and yet there was no VAR check.
In different circumstances, Senegal’s goal might have stood and Morocco’s penalty call would possibly have been ignored. That might have stoked their anger.
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