The fines total more than $1 million and players from both teams have been banned since the Africa Cup of Nations final and the scandal.
African football’s governing body has issued fines worth more than $1 million and banned Senegal’s coach and Senegalese and Moroccan players from the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) final after one team staged a walk-off protest, fans tried to enter the field and fights broke out among reporters.
The ban announced on Thursday applies only to African sports, not the World Cup, which starts in June and has both Senegal and Morocco qualified.
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Sanctions announced by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) include fines totaling $615,000 to the Senegalese Football Federation and $315,000 to the Royal Moroccan Football Federation for unsportsmanlike conduct and inappropriate behavior by their players, coaching staff and supporters.
On January 18 AFCON FinalsSenegal’s players, led by coach Pape Thiau, walked off the pitch in protest at a late penalty awarded to the hosts, Morocco. Thiaw, who last week Defended the actions of his sideBanned for five African games and fined $100,000 for bringing the game into disrepute, the African Confederation said.
Play resumed after a delay of about 15 minutes. Morocco missed a penalty and Senegal won the African title 1-0 after extra time.
The final in Rabat saw supporters attempt to invade the pitch, Moroccan and Senegalese players brawling on the sidelines, journalists from both countries brawling in the media area and an awkward sequence in which Moroccan ball boys tried to grab a towel used by Senegalese goalkeeper Edouard Mendy and App helped him win. title
Such behavior by the home team’s ball boys led to a $200,000 fine for Morocco’s federation, which will host the 2030 World Cup alongside Spain and Portugal and has come under scrutiny for the chaotic African finals.
Such behavior by the home team’s ball boys led to a $200,000 fine for Morocco’s federation, which will co-host the 2030 World Cup with Spain and Portugal and has come under scrutiny for the chaotic African finals.
Morocco had hoped to host the 2030 World Cup finals in Casablanca at the Hassan II Stadium, set to be the world’s largest football stadium with a capacity of 115,000 after its planned completion in 2028. But this month’s African finals reflected badly.
Morocco coach Walid Regragui said the game had given African football a “shameful” image.
Senegalese players Elliman Ndiaye and Ismaila Sarr were banned for two African matches, Morocco’s Achraf Hakimi was also banned for two matches and Morocco’s Ismail Saibari was banned for three matches with one suspension and fined $100,000 for inactive conduct.
CAF rejected Morocco’s appeal to overturn the result and Morocco was declared the winner due to a Senegalese walk-off.
The game also strained diplomatic relations between Senegal and Morocco, prompting government officials in both countries to call for friendship and calm. In Morocco, rights groups protested what they called hate speech targeting the country’s sub-Saharan African population.
Senegalese Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko, on an investment trip to Morocco days after the game, said the reaction “should be seen as an emotional outburst born of enthusiasm and not as a political or cultural disagreement”.
In a further blow to Morocco’s 2030 FIFA World Cup ambitions, Spain’s football federation president announced on Tuesday His country will host the final.
The venue for the showpiece match of the tournament is yet to be confirmed.