THE Senegalese government and football federation have launched a fierce response after the country was stripped of the Africa Cup of Nations title in a highly controversial decision that has sent shockwaves through African football, with plans already underway to challenge the ruling at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

The Senegalese government has accused African football’s governing body of “corruption” after the country was stripped of the continental title they won in January.

An appeal board of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has taken the Africa Cup of Nations crown from Senegal and awarded it to Morocco, overturning Senegal’s 1-0 win and imposing a 3-0 defeat instead.

The appeal board determined Senegal had forfeited the match after they left the pitch in protest against a disputed penalty awarded to Morocco deep into stoppage time.

The walk-off, led by Senegal coach Pape Thiaw, caused a lengthy delay and when the game was belatedly restarted, Brahim Diaz saw his spot-kick saved by Edouard Mendy. 

Pape Gueye went on to score the winning goal in extra time but there was unrest in the crowd and recriminations in the aftermath.

Having studied the circumstances, the appeal board took the unprecedented step of reversing the result, awarding a 3-0 win to Morocco, who are now celebrating their second Afcon title.

Senegal’s football federation has already indicated it intends to appeal against the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), and the country’s government has now waded in.

It said in a post on X: “[Senegal] requests the opening of an independent international investigation into suspicions of corruption within the CAF’s governing bodies.”

The post described the decision to overturn the original result as “unprecedented” and added: “It proceeds from a manifestly incorrect reading of the rules, leading to a grossly illegal and profoundly unjust decision.”

Responding via a statement on X, the Senegal federation branded the decision “iniquitous, unprecedented and unacceptable”, saying it “threw discredit on African football”.

“For the defence of the rights and interests of Senegalese football, the federation will engage, with the shortest delay, an appeal procedure before the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne,” the statement added.

Among the Senegal players to lose their champion status are former Liverpool striker Sadio Mane, Everton pair Idrissa Gueye and Iliman Ndiaye, Chelsea’s Mamadou Sarr and his on-loan team-mate Nicolas Jackson, Tottenham’s Pape Matar Sarr, West Ham’s El Hadji Malick Diouf and Crystal Palace’s Ismaila Sarr.

Everton’s Idrissa Gueye, part of Senegal’s victorious squad, posted in an Instagram story: “Titles, trophies, medals… all of this is fleeting. What really counts is that each each supporter can go home and be reunited with their family.

“The Senegalese people have shown what they are: dignified in victory, dignified in adversity. We know what we experienced that evening in Rabat. And that, no-one can take away from us.”

Manchester United’s Noussair Mazraoui, meanwhile, can savour a belated triumph alongside Paris St Germain’s Achraf Hakimi and Real Madrid’s Diaz.

The Moroccan federation are expected to make a further statement this evening after the Morning Star went to print, having said on Tuesday night: “The federation wishes to recall that its approach has never been intended to challenge the sporting performance of the teams participating in this competition, but solely to request the application of the competition’s regulations.

“The federation reaffirms its commitment to respecting the rules, ensuring clarity in the competitive framework, and maintaining stability within African competitions.”

The CAF has been contacted for comment.

A number of bookmakers said they would now pay out to customers who had originally backed Morocco to win the match.