-
Senegal’s Sadio Mane lifts the trophy with teammates as they celebrate after winning the Africa Cup of Nations.
Former Chairperson of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Disciplinary Board, Raymond Hack, has bemoaned the decision of the continental football governing body’s Appeal Board to strip Senegal of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations title.
The Board has now declared hosts Morocco as champions.
It ruled that Senegal forfeited the match 3-0 after the players staged a walkout in protest of a penalty awarded against them in the chaotic Afcon final in Rabat on 19 January.
A month ago, CAF handed down heavy sanctions to both Senegal and Morocco for serious violations of the CAF Disciplinary Code, following the chaotic scenes that overshadowed the Afcon final.
The Moroccan Football Federation successfully appealed the sanctions. And almost two months later, the Appeal Board ruled that Senegal forfeited the match and declared Morocco 3-0 winners.
“I think it’s certainly a disadvantage for football in Africa. It shows a terrible image for football in Africa, because when you get a situation where your own body appeals against your disciplinary body, are you then saying our disciplinary body is not good enough to hear the matter? Why did you appoint them in the first place? That is as far as that is concerned. But as far as the appeal is concerned, I think the appeal’s body got it totally wrong,” says Hack.
Hack says when Senegal returned to the field of play, Morocco should have responded immediately by indicating that they are continuing under protest.
“Firstly, the only person who can end the game is the referee here. Yes, members of the team walked off. So, what should have happened is that the Moroccan team should have gone to the referee to say the team has walked off, blow your whistle and declare us as the winners. But they didn’t. What happened is they went back to the field and they played extra time. Also, when they went back to the field, they didn’t say to the referee, we are playing extra time under protest, which would have allowed them to take the matter on appeal afterwards. They continued with the game,” explains Hack.
It was ruled that Senegal violated Article 82 and 84 of the Regulations of the Africa Cup of Nations. But Hack questions the finding.
“And because they lost, you then go on appeal. How long does it take for an appeal in a matter like this, a cup final? You know we had it, I think it was 2019 in the club championships with Wydad, where the team walked off the field of play. The referee blew for it. They then went for appeal afterwards and it went to the court of arbitration. The court of arbitration said, ‘no, the referee blew for the end of the game and that’s the end’. Here, the referee blew the whistle at the end of extra time. Only the referee can close the game off, no one else can do it,” explains Hack.
VIDEO | Certain Moroccan and Senegal players and officials received sanctions:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNl4ZwbRAlw
The Senegalese Football Federation will appeal the finding to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Switzerland. But Hack, who also an arbitrator for this court, says it is going to be a long drawn out process.
“In my opinion, I believe CAF will go back and say that the decision of the disciplinary committee was correct and that the appeal body is incorrect. But that’s my opinion, you know with lawyers you will never get the same answer. Everyone has got a different opinion, but in terms of what football should be, that would be the correct decision because otherwise every single game is going to be questioned.”
Hack firmly believes football politics were at play here and maintains only the CAF Referee’s Committee has the jurisdiction to overturn the referee’s decision.
But in this instance, the Referees Committee was never involved in this matter.
