By Evans Worlanyo Ameamu
Keta (VR), Jan 21, GNA-Some sports enthusiasts, in Keta Municipality of the Volta Region, have expressed diverging opinions and worry about the potential disciplinary actions from the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and FIFA against Senegal following their dramatic win over Morocco in the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) final.
They said the controversy surrounding Senegal’s decision to walk off the pitch in protest of a penalty awarded to Morocco, in the AFCON finals led to a 15 minutes’ delay of the game.
Mr Geraldo Harvey, a sports enthusiast at Keta, told the GNA sports that FIFA President Gianni Infantino has condemned the actions, stating that leaving the field of play in protest was unacceptable and has damaged the integrity of the game.
“We saw a communiqué from the Moroccan Football Federation, announcing plans to take legal action against CAF and FIFA about Senegal’s walk-off that disrupted the normal flow of the match,” he said.
He explained that CAF has also condemned the incident and stated that it would review footage and take appropriate action against those found guilty.
Mr Harvey said that Senegal’s coach, Pape Thiaw, has faced criticism for his role in the walk-off, with some calling for several sanctions against him while others believed the move clearly demonstrated and uncovered the corruption in CAF and tournament.
“For me, apart from good stadiums with good pitches Morocco has, l will boldly tell you that this is the most shameful and disorganised AFCON we have on African soil. Why should Morocco’s host and win be by force,” he said.
He said that the potential disciplinary actions against Senegal could include fines, suspensions, or even a ban from future tournaments and believed that the most extreme outcomes, such as disqualification or stripping of the title, are unlikely given that Senegal returned to the pitch and completed the match.
He also expressed disappointment over CAF and FIFA’s silence on the officiating and conduct of Moroccan fans and officials who continuously influenced and disrupted the outcome of matches and charged authorities to look at all footages available from the tournament and implement disciplinary action against those found culpable.
“Did you see the matches Morocco played against Cameroon, Nigeria and even in the finals against Senegal? It is clear CAF just want to hand over the cup to Morocco even before the start of the tournament. It is a shame; CAF should rather thanked Senegal for resuming the finals.”
He said that many incidents during the matches have sparked debate about the role of Video Assistant Referees (VAR) in the games which needed clearer guidelines on players conduct and argued that VAR was necessary to ensure fairness, while others believed it has led to unnecessary delays and controversy.
Meanwhile, many fans and pundits were divided on the issue, with some supporting Senegal’s decision to protest the penalty after their goal scored earlier was disallowed by Dr Congo center-referee Jean-Jacques Ndala while others condemned the walk-off as unsportsmanlike after Sadio Mane, ordered the colleague players to continue the games.
They said the controversy during the final has overshadowed Senegal’s historic win, which marked their second AFCON title in three tournaments while the team received widespread praise across Africa and around the world for their performance, but the incident has left a sour taste in the mouths of many fans.
As the situation continues to unfold, sports enthusiasts at Keta and other sports lovers would be watching closely to see how CAF and FIFA would respond to the incident and what impact it would have on the future of African football.
Others also described Morocco as a desperate north Africa country who once leaved African Union and attempted to join European Union and should have not been given the nod at first place to host any African competition going forward regarding the racism and uncultured attacks on other countries during the 2025 AFCON.
GNA
Edited by: Maxwell Awumah/Kenneth Odeng Adade