Another day, another drama playing out in the world of soccer.
While no-one could ever accuse the world’s most popular sport of being a gentleman’s game, the debacle that played out during the Africa Cup of Nations final in Morocco on January 18 took the competition to a new low.
And it has done the beautiful game a great disservice.
Two months after the final whistle, Senegal’s victory was this week overturned. By leaving the field for 15 minutes in protest of a contentious stoppage-time penalty, they have been stripped of their title by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) appeal board, making Morocco the new champions.
Of course, in the true spirit of diehard defiance, an outraged Senegal has said they will appeal the outcome, describing this week’s decision as a “travesty”.
But the real travesty here is that such ill-discipline was tolerated in the first place, and that Senegal was allowed back on the field after 15 long minutes of what can only be described as baby rage.
CAF says Senegal infringed on article 82 of Afcon’s regulations, which state that if a team refuses to play or leaves the ground before the end of regulation time without the referee’s authorisation, it will be permanently eliminated and lose the match 3-0.
Tensions were understandably high during the match between the two rivals and the final was marred by widespread controversy and allegations of poor sportsmanship by both sides.
Before the match, Senegal coach Pape Thiaw complained that his team was left without adequate security upon arrival in Rabat and were mobbed by the public, which he described as “abnormal”.
On the field, Moroccan players and ball boys were accused of repeatedly interfering with or hiding the Senegalese goalkeeper’s towel — used to dry his gloves — to destabilise the opposition. And it didn’t end there: Moroccan fans were fined $15,000 for using lasers to distract Senegalese players during the match.
And let’s not forget that Moroccan players Achraf Hakimi and Ismael Saibari received multi-match bans for “unsporting behaviour” during the closing moments of the game.
But Senegal’s walk-off overshadowed it all, and shone a global spotlight on a bevy of prima donnas who considered themselves bigger than the game.
The decision to strip Senegal of the CAF trophy was the right one. No team can be rewarded for putting themselves above the game. The only thing CAF did wrong was to take so long to make the call.
In an ideal world, no matter the size of the crowd, the VIPs in attendance or the cameras beaming the game into millions of homes across the world — Senegal should never have been allowed back on the field.
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