HIBAPRESS – Rabat
The Moroccan Lawyers Club announced that it has decided to resort to the Ethics Committee of the International Federation of Football (FIFA), following the statements made by the President of the Senegalese Football Federation, which the club considered insulting and offensive to the Kingdom of Morocco and its sports institutions.
The club explained, in a statement received by HIBAPRESS newspaper, that the President of the Senegalese Federation directed accusations described as "categorical" against Morocco, by claiming that the Confederation of African Football was directing and exercising what he called "hidden influence" on the management of continental football affairs. The statement considered that these statements go far beyond the limits of legitimate sports criticism and amount to the level of explicit institutional defamation, in addition to being a direct insult to the integrity of the African Football Confederation.
The Moroccan Lawyers Club affirmed that these allegations, which are not based on any evidence or proof, seriously affect the honor of both Moroccan and African sports bodies. It added that the discourse adopted in these statements combines insinuation and defamation and aims to justify organizational failures and internal problems by promoting vague theories and imaginary claims that would undermine the spirit of African football and damage its image.
The statement stressed that the statements of the President of the Senegalese Federation cannot be treated as mere sports opinions, but rather constitute, in his words, a flagrant and serious violation of the basic principles on which both the International Federation of Football and the African Football Confederation are based. He explained that these accusations represent a clear breach of the duties of neutrality and integrity imposed on officials and presidents of sports universities, as stipulated in Articles 14, 15, and 16 of the FIFA Code of Ethics, in addition to Article 82 of the CAF Disciplinary Code.
At the level of sports criminal law, the Moroccan Lawyers Club considered that these actions fall within the category of defamation and abusive behavior, according to Article 23 of the FIFA Code of Ethics and Article 131 of the CAF Disciplinary Code, which are legal provisions that criminalize any deliberate violation of the image of sport and the honor of institutions, and expose their perpetrators to disciplinary penalties that may include financial fines and decisions to suspend from practicing any sports activity for periods that may extend for several years.
Based on the foregoing, the club announced that it would submit an official notification to the FIFA Ethics Committee, based on Article 60 of the FIFA Code of Ethics and Article 43 of the CAF Disciplinary Code, which authorize the concerned parties to the right to report in writing on behaviors that violate the regulations. The statement explained that as soon as this notification is registered with the competent authorities, the investigation committees will begin a preliminary investigation procedure to study the evidence presented and take appropriate legal measures.
In conclusion of its statement, the Moroccan Lawyers Club affirmed that any institutional failure, no matter how severe, cannot justify questioning the integrity of the efforts made by Moroccan institutions or trying to achieve gains through populist maneuvers. It stressed that the dignity of Moroccan football remains a red line that cannot be touched through irresponsible media appearances that affect the spirit of African brotherhood and offend the values on which sport is based on the continent.
