The French newspaper ‘Le Monde’ has had access to the five official reports on the development of the final of the African Cup of Nations on January 18, which on the Rabat field Senegal won (1-0) and that in the offices they have designated Morocco as champion months later.
The players were in danger
At the end of the match, Prince Rachid, brother of King Mohammed VI, rejects the offer to present the trophy to the winners.
Senegal wins the Africa Cup against Morocco
Mustapha Kessouswho has seen the reports of the referee, that of the commissioner responsible for the smooth conduct of the match, that of the general coordinator in charge of logistics and two reports on incidents and security, assures that “the African Football Confederation is immersed in disputes and its committees issue contradictory reports.”
Morocco began playing the final of the Africa Cup against Senegal… with the choice of the hotel
Reports that Morocco began playing the final against Senegal with the choice of hotel: “The Senegalese delegation was supposed to travel by TGV (high-speed train) to Rabat, where the final would be played. But they had just learned that their accommodation would be the Rihab, a mid-range hotel in the city center (“It does not at all meet the high standards necessary for the preparation of a final”). They refused. The CAF (Confederation of African Football) recommended Amphitrite, located on the outskirts of the capital, which was considerably more comfortable. “They accepted.”
Abdoulaye Saydou Sowsecretary general of the Senegalese federation, wrote a letter of protest: “We would like to highlight that, if we are not mistaken, neither the Hotel Rihab nor the Amphitrite Rabat appear on the official list of base camps initially approved and communicated by the CAF, which raises a legitimate doubt about compliance with the specifications of the competition.”
The report points to Morocco’s alleged attempt to spy on Senegal’s previous training sessions
The Senegalese team also learned that they would have to train at the Mohammed VI complex, where the base camp of… their rivals was located. They filed a complaint with the same CAF representatives, pointing out, among other things, the “lack of tactical confidentiality”. They feared being spied on.
Reports highlight the harassment suffered by the Senegal team in the days before the final against Morocco
The reports corroborate the harassment that Senegal suffered in the days before the final against Morocco. The Senegalese delegation was surrounded by a crowd of fans upon arrival at the Rabat-Agdal train station, and “the delegation considered that the police had not provided them with sufficient protection”.
At that time the Senegalese Football Federation issued a statement to denounce his “serious concern over several irregularities”.
The fans were out of control and showed extreme violence
Coach Pape Thiaw highlighted the “abnormal” security breach, stating, loudly, that his “players were in danger.”
Altercations in the stands of Senegal-Morocco
The report presented to the CAF reflects that “Unfortunately, the pre-match statements were not reassuring” and that “a communication and awareness campaign aimed at fans and coaching staff, particularly coaches and teams, would have made it possible to anticipate the reaction to a controversial refereeing decision and reduce the emotional pressure in the stands.”
Senegal requested the recusal of the referee, the Congolese Jean-Jacques Ngambo Ndala
The report also reflects that on the night of January 17, Senegal demanded the recusal of the arbitrator, Congolese Jean-Jacques Ngambo Ndala, whose late appointment raised legitimate doubts about his impartiality due to his “questionable decisions.”
Morocco’s legal battle against Senegal taking advantage of the fact that they left the field in the final
The match could be played before 66,526 spectators. And then came the great controversy.
The match between the Atlas Lions and the Teranga Lions will be remembered for the moment in which Senegal players left the field of play to protest a refereeing decision: a penalty awarded to Morocco at the end of the match, which caused a 10-minute interruption. Real Madrid player Brahim Díaz missed the disputed penalty.
CAF declares Morocco champion of the Africa Cup
The leaders of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) presented two appeals to the African Football Confederation (CAF) to “guarantee respect for their rights.” Senegal left the field, so the team had to be disqualified, as stipulated in the regulations. This argument convinced the CAF appeals committee on March 17, which decided to declare Senegal a forfeit loser and award the Moroccan team a 3-0 victory.
“The most blatant administrative theft in the history of its sport”
The Senegalese Football Federation appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), denouncing “the most flagrant administrative theft in the history of its sport.”
CAF designated Morocco as winner and Senegal as runner-up. Today, this page is no longer available. Since then, the governing body has not publicly stated that the African Cup of Nations (CAN) has been awarded to Morocco.
Its president, the South African Patrice Motsepe, refuses to comment, limiting himself to stating that he “respects” the decision of the appeal jury and that he will do the same with the CAS decision, which will be issued in several months.
Reports point to Morocco in its dirty war against Senegal: battle of the towel, espionage, “players in danger”…
At the moment the Senegalese footballers embroidered their second star on their national shirt, the trophy has traveled throughout Senegal and the CAF has paid 10 million dollars in bonuses to its players.
“Officials and substitutes from both teams tried to fight”
In his report, referee Jean-Jacques Ngambo Ndala explained that “in the 97th minute there was a temporary interruption of the game… On instructions from their coach, Pape Bouna (Thiaw), the players returned to the locker room. After the Senegalese players returned to the field, the security officer asked them to temporarily stop the game due to the riots caused by the Senegalese fans against the police.”
The Egyptian Ahmed Osmanmatch commissioner, reported that “officials and substitutes from both teams tried to fight.”
“The fans were out of control and showed extreme violence. The riot police had to intervene to finally begin to control them and secure the area between their stands and the pitch,” the coordinator reported.
The CAF condemned “the unacceptable behavior of certain players and managers” of both teams.
In the hallways of the stadium, Senegalese and Moroccan managers clashed, particularly in front of the elevator.
“One of them told us: “You are worse than the Algerians”explained a member of the Senegal delegation. The Royal Moroccan Football Federation denies this version.
“Three Senegalese players were taken to hospital after suffering food poisoning in the locker room”
Another report, related to match security, stated that “three Senegalese players were taken to hospital after suffering food poisoning in the locker room.”
A report also mentions the “inappropriate conduct” from the Moroccan ball boys, who tried “snatching the towel” from the Senegalese goalkeeperand the “altercations” with her substitute, who tried to protect her, “causing several falls to the ground before the situation was controlled.”