African football would have been hoping for a thrilling end to a slick and competitive Cup of Nations tournament but will suffer a major headache after the final between Senegal and hosts Morocco descended into farce.
Senegal, who won 1-0 after extra time, staged a walk-out after they had a penalty awarded against them deep in stoppage time at the end of the match.
They were ordered off the field by their coach Pape Bouna Thiaw, with some players going back to the dressing room, and it was only after Sadio Mane cajoled them back that the game continued.
“What did we say to each other? That’s between us. We did it together and we came back together, that’s all that matters,” said goalkeeper Edouard Mendy, one of those involved in ugly scenes of jostling and arguing between the players.
A 14-minute delay between the awarding of the penalty, after a lengthy VAR review, and the taking of the kick was followed by a tame effort from Morocco’s Brahim Diaz, who had been their star performer as they reached the final for the first time in 22 years.
His Panenka-style chipped effort floated into Mendy’s arms, leaving the game goalless and having to go into extra time.
“He attempted the Panenka, but I stayed on my feet. We kept the team in the game, and I helped my team at that moment,” Mendy added
The penalty was awarded following a VAR check by Congolese referee Jean-Jacques Ndala after Brahim Diaz had been tugged to the ground by Senegal full back El Hadji Malick Diouf while defending a corner five minutes into stoppage time.
Morocco coach Walid Regragui said the delay did not help Diaz.
“But that doesn’t excuse Brahim for the way he hit the penalty. He hit it like that and we have to accept it. We were one minute from being African champions. That’s football. It’s often cruel. We missed what for some was the opportunity of a lifetime,” he said.
Pape Gueye won the trophy for Senegal with a superb strike four minutes into extra time, handing his country their second trophy in the last three editions and extending Morocco’s poor record in the tournament which they have won once previously 50 years ago.
But Senegal’s success will be overshadowed by the controversy of the walk-off, blemishing the image of the African game which only days earlier had boasted of record worldwide revenue for its showpiece tournaments as interest spread worldwide.
“The image we’ve given of Africa is shameful,” added Regragui.
“A coach who asks his players to leave the field … What Pape did does not honour Africa. He wasn’t classy. But he is a champion, so he can say whatever he wants” ، His Senegal counterpart, Thiaw, could face sanctions for his actions.
However, he missed the chance to discuss the controversy when his post-match press conference was called off after he was jeered by Moroccan journalists when he entered the room while their Senegalese counterparts applauded him.
