Senegal may be disqualified from the Africa Cup of Nations after breaking a competition regulation during their thrilling final victory over hosts Morocco. The Lions of Teranga won continental triumph for the second time in four years thanks to a spectacular goal by Pape Gueye in extra time.
But dramatic circumstances that took place in the last moments of regular time overshadowed the final.
In the last seconds of the match, Morocco was given a contentious penalty, which infuriated the Senegalese players. As manager Pape Thiaw ordered his team to quit the field of play in protest of the decision, and absurd scenes ensued.
The match was delayed for almost 20 minutes before Sadio Mane ran into the dressing room and convinced his teammates to return.
Eventually, Moroccan forward Brahim Diaz tried to take the critical penalty kick, but he failed miserably, with his chip landing directly in Senegal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy’s gloves.
Morocco lost badly as a result of the mishandled attempt, and Gueye’s spectacular strike struck the top corner in extra time. Even though it proved to be the winning goal, Senegal can still lose the championship.
Teams that voluntarily leave the field of play run the possibility of being eliminated from the competition, according to the Confederation of African Football (CAF) rulebook.
Article 64 states that if 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 looser and shall be eliminated for good from the current competition.”
After the final whistle, Morocco’s head coach Walid Regragui attacked Senegal, denouncing the “shameful” scenes that took place at the end of regular time.
“The image we gave of African football was rather shameful,” he said. “Having to stop the game for more than 10 minutes with the world watching is not very classy.”
Regragui also suggested that Diaz’s penalty miss was influenced by the lengthy stoppage, adding: “He had a lot of time before taking the penalty, which must have disturbed him.”
“But we can’t change what happened. That is how he chose to take the penalty. We need to look forward now.”
After winning the trophy in 1976, Morocco were eager to repeat as African champions in front of their own supporters.
“Football sometimes is cruel, and today we lost, we know in a final that you get few chances and you need to take them,” said Regragui.