The Confederation of African Football has handed down a series of punishments following a chaotic Africa Cup of Nations final between Senegal and Morocco, issuing fines and suspensions that together amount to close to £1m.
At the centre of the disciplinary action is Senegal head coach Aliou Cissé’s assistant, Thiaw, who has been fined $100,000 (£72,000) after CAF ruled against his conduct during the closing moments of the final in Rabat on 18 January. Senegal went on to win the match 1-0, but only after an extraordinary interruption late in regulation time.
The final was disrupted after Morocco were awarded a stoppage-time penalty. Moments earlier, referee Jean-Jacques Ndala had halted play for a foul on Morocco captain Achraf Hakimi, cancelling out what would have been a headed goal from Ismaila Sarr. Thiaw reacted angrily to the sequence of decisions and instructed Senegal’s players to leave the pitch.
The match was paused for approximately 17 minutes before Sadio Mane persuaded his teammates to resume play. When the game restarted, Brahim Diaz attempted a Panenka penalty, which was saved by Senegal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy. Ndala immediately blew for full-time, sending the contest into extra time.
Senegal secured victory when Pape Gueye scored in the fourth minute of extra time, sealing the nation’s second Afcon title in five years.
Further sanctions followed for both teams. Senegal forwards Iliman Ndiaye and Sarr were handed two-match bans for "unsporting behaviour towards the referee". The Senegal Football Federation was fined a total of $615,000, reflecting both the conduct of the team and incidents involving supporters.
Morocco too will serve fine
Morocco also faced penalties. Forward Ismael Saibari received a three-match ban and a $100,000 fine. Hakimi was given a two-match suspension, with one match suspended for 12 months. CAF also dismissed a protest from Morocco’s federation seeking to overturn the result.
Additional fines were issued for fan behaviour, misuse of lasers, ball-boy interference involving Mendy’s towel, and encroachment into the VAR area. All bans apply only to CAF competitions and will not affect preparations for the upcoming World Cup in North America.
