Senegal’s appeal date against their Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) title being stripped from them has been confirmed for October 8.
The West African nation was forced to forfeit their title against Morocco on January 18 following an appeal board of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) after the team left the pitch in protest of a late penalty being awarded.
The score was goalless at the time, with the subsequent spot-kick being missed by Morocco’s Brahim Diaz.
Senegal went on to win the game 1-0 after extra time, with the CAF appeal board handing Morocco a 3-0 win on March 17.
Senegal confirmed they would appeal the decision with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) later that month.
CAS confirmed today that a hearing will be conducted on October 8, with the case following the standard timeline after both football federations did not agree to expedite the procedure.
The hearing will take place behind closed doors.
The situation unfolded after Diaz went down inside the penalty area, prompting a VAR intervention that awarded the hosts a spot-kick.
Senegal’s appeal date against AFCON title being stripped from them has been confirmed
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Head coach Pape Thiaw signalled for his players to leave the field after referee Jean-Jacques Ndala awarded the penalty to Morocco deep into stoppage time at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat.
The extraordinary scenes saw Senegalese players initially gather near their bench before several walked down the tunnel, refusing to continue the match.
When the side eventually returned to the pitch around 17 minutes later, Morocco’s Diaz missed the penalty, and the contest went to extra time.
Senegal’s Pape Gueye netted the decisive goal during the additional period.
The extraordinary scenes saw Senegalese players initially gather near their bench before several walked down the tunnel
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Article 84 reinforces this provision, mandating that teams breaching Article 82 face permanent elimination and an automatic 3-0 defeat.
The appeals panel found that the Senegalese Football Federation’s team had violated Articles 82 and 84 of the AFCON regulations, which state that any side that refuses to continue playing or departs the field prior to full time without the referee’s permission shall be deemed the losing team and removed from the competition.
All other requests for relief brought before the board were dismissed, with the forfeiture ruling standing as the definitive outcome of the continental championship final.
The appeals board also addressed several other matters arising from the final, including sanctions against Moroccan midfielder Ismael Saibari.
The hearing will take place on October 8
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The player’s punishment for misconduct was reduced to a two-match ban from official CAF fixtures, with one of those matches suspended, while a $100,000 (£74,955) fine against him was removed entirely.
Regarding incidents involving Morocco, the penalty for ball boy conduct during the match was reduced to $50,000 (£37,477), whilst the fine for laser pointer use was cut to $10,000 (£7,495).
However, a $100,000 (£74,955) sanction for interference near the VAR review area was upheld in full.
The decision marks the first time that a champion has been stripped of the trophy and a final result reversed nearly two months after the match.
