The Confederation of African Football, or CAF, announced earlier this week that Senegal will be stripped of its Africa Cup of Nations championship.
This comes two months after the thrilling conclusion to the final, which featured hosts Morocco.
The Teranga Lions forfeited the match after leaving the pitch in protest of a disputed penalty deep into stoppage time, according to CAF’s appeal board.
The timing of the decision is considered as both interesting and contentious.
“Truly bizarre,” Solace Chukwu, author of ‘Elusive: How Enyimba Ended Nigeria’s 39-year Wait for Champions League Glory’, tells
He went on to say, “It was pretty bizarre because it had not been reported previously, so the decision came out of nowhere.
“I think it’s a deeply unfortunate and misguided decision, one that has predictably brought a lot of bad press Africa’s way.”
But why did the CAF take two months to issue this verdict?
“This is unclear, especially given that the decision-making body in question did not have a full complement of members when the verdict was issued.
“The length of time is a further part of the difficulty in terms of the palatability of the decision,” Chukwu observed.
What are the ramifications of this unprecedented verdict, given the continent’s and the world’s diverse reactions? Will the CAF’s fragile reputation suffer a severe blow?
“I believe it is a stain on the continent’s prestige and sets an unacceptable precedent.
“Results should always be decided on the pitch, and this one was, albeit in a slightly fractured fashion.
“Re-litigating the decision in this manner invites future chicanery and gamesmanship.
“Furthermore, it harms CAF’s prestige and gives the impression that they are at the mercy of Morocco.
“To contravene established Laws of the Game in this way just to favour Morocco makes one wonder what sort of hold the North African nation has on CAF,” Chukuwu tells me.
The Senegalese Football Federation has already indicated its intention to file an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
Have they got an airtight case?
“Well, I’m not a lawyer.” But I suppose so,” Chukwu stated.
“The codified Laws of the Game outweigh CAF’s competition laws, and Senegal left just the pitch.
“Also, the fact that both teams continued the match and played an additional 30 minutes to determine boosts Senegal’s position.
“It is the referee’s responsibility to decide what constitutes an abandonment, and in this case, he was confident enough to continue,” the commentator stated.