HIBAPRESS – Sports
The Disciplinary Committee of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) issued a package of disciplinary and financial penalties following the events that accompanied the African Cup of Nations final between Senegal and Morocco, which was held in Rabat on January 18th. It also decided to reject the protest submitted by the Royal Moroccan Football Federation regarding what it considered violations by the Senegalese side.
The match witnessed great tension, as it was stopped for about fifteen minutes in the final minutes after the Senegalese players threatened to withdraw, before resuming and Ibrahim Diaz missing a penalty kick, then the Senegalese national team scored the winning goal in extra time. Riots were also recorded by Senegalese fans, in addition to the incident of hiding the towels of Senegalese goalkeeper Edouard Mendy, attributed to Moroccan players and ball collectors.
The penalties included suspending Senegal coach Pape Thiaw for five official matches under "CAF" and fining him $100,000 due to unsportsmanlike conduct, in addition to suspending players Iliman Ndiaye and Ismaila Sarr for two matches. The Senegalese Football Federation was also fined two fines of $300,000 each, one due to the behavior of the fans, and the other due to the actions of players and members of the technical staff. A source in the committee clarified to "Agence France-Presse" that the suspension penalties will only apply in the competitions of the African Federation, and not in the World Cup finals.
On the Moroccan side, it was decided to suspend captain Achraf Hakimi for two matches, with the suspension of one match being suspended for a year, and the suspension of Ismael Saibari for three matches, in addition to fining him $100,000, due to unsportsmanlike conduct. The Royal Moroccan Football Federation was also fined $200,000 against the backdrop of the actions of ball collectors, and an additional $100,000 due to the invasion of players and members of the technical staff into the video technology area (VAR) and obstructing the work of the referee.
