Assahafa.com
Morocco’s Atlas Lions remain in 8th position in the new FIFA Ranking despite their forfeited AFCON final against Senegal, contrary to expectations of a fifth-place rise.
Morocco, however, maintains its continental leadership, topping the African ranking ahead of Senegal.
This supports the country’s win over Senegal Teranga’s Lions in the chaotic final of AFCON on January 18.
Morocco’s win, however, is reflected in FIFA’s official website as the latter mentions the forfeit against Senegal.
Senegal now shares a legal dispute with Morocco. The Senegalese Football Federation has taken the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, also known as CAS.
The reason? It claims that the decision of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) board is unjust, as it declared Morocco the AFCON winner by forfeit.
The decision of the CAF board came after an appeal from Morocco’s Football Federation (FRMF), which protested Senegal’s win, citing Articles 82 and 84 of CAF regulations.
Article 82 says that any team that withdraws, refuses to play, or leaves the pitch before the match ends without the referee’s authorization is deemed the loser and disqualified from the competition.
Article 84 reinforces this principle, stating that a team violating these rules will be eliminated for good.
The article also states that the match should be awarded 3-0 to the opponent unless a more favorable score was already recorded before.
Senegal is now defying CAF regulations, accusing the African football organization of corruption.
Senegal has also politicized sports, with the government describing CAF’s decision as an attempt aimed at “stripping” their national team of its AFCON title.
For Senegal, the decision is “unprecedented,” claiming the ruling is against the “fundamental principles” that underpin sporting ethics.
It also claims that CAF is inflicting “serious damage on its own credibility,” and calls for an independent international investigation into alleged corruption within its governing bodies.
During the chaotic final, Senegalese fans stormed the pitch and attacked security personnel, causing chaos throughout the stadium
The chaos followed Senegal coach Pape Thiaw’s violation of CAF’s regulation, as he urged his team to withdraw from the pitch after the referee awarded a legitimate penalty to Morocco.
Senegal left the pitch and refused to continue playing until high-level authorities intervened, sparking frustration and concerns.
CAF now emphasized that the fate of the case is in the hands of CAS after Senegal’s complaint.
Amid Senegal’s backlash and the politicization of the case, Morocco is moving forward with its friendlies in preparation for the upcoming FIFA World Cup in the US-Mexico-Canada.
Morocco finished its first friendly 1-1 with Ecuador and 2-1 against Paraguay. Under the new leadership of Ouahbi, the Atlas Lions are looking forward to continuing their quest for a World Cup title after the AFCON.
Source: Morocco word news
