Senegal Stripped

[baggieal]

Seems a crazy decision to me how you can strip a country of winning the cup 2 months after they have lifted the cup! A huge fine yes but this!! How must Morocco feel now being declared winners? What about the fans who went?

Senegal has been stripped of the Africa Cup of Nations for misconduct in the tournament final, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has ruled.

The CAF Appeal Board said that Senegal is "declared to have forfeited" the final in January, because the team's players walked off the pitch.

Senegal had won the final 1-0. The result will now be recorded as a 3-0 win for Morocco, the tournament hosts.

[On Balance]

Cannot disagree Al. The matter should have been dealt with at the time. You either let Senegal return to the field of play and continue or you say no you cannot return you have forfeited the game.

Football is turning into a circus run by clowns. Mind, that said, so is the whole world to be honest.

[baggieal]

Cannot disagree Al. The matter should have been dealt with at the time. You either let Senegal return to the field of play and continue or you say no you cannot return you have forfeited the game.

Football is turning into a circus run by clowns. Mind, that said, so is the whole world to be honest.

That made me laugh your last paragraph and you are so correct.

[Omegstrat6]

That made me laugh your last paragraph and you are so correct.

As you both say, an absolutely crazy decision.

As I understand it, the Senegal players all walked off the pitch under the instruction of their coach, Pape Thiaw, in protest at a penalty being awarded to Morocco in stoppage time leading to a 17 min delay before play was eventually resumed.

At the point the players walked off the ref surely either had the choice of issuing them all red cards and effectively awarding the game to Morocco or else allowing them to return to the pitch to continue. As Senegal's captain eventually persuaded the team that they should return to complete the game, the ref chose the latter, Morocco missed their penalty and Senegal managed a goal to win the game. Thiaw later said he was simply driven by frustration at his side having a goal ruled out and then the late penalty awarded against them.

To my mind, the 17 min break was clearly too long and I believe -like OB-that what the ref should have done was to have simply given Senegal the choice of either get back on the pitch now or else forfeit the game but it was the ref's decision to make and therefore, technically, Senegal had won the game. The result should have stood and then Thiaw and his team retrospectively fined/punished for their behaviour.

If AFCON found that the ref's decision to let the game continue was wrong because allowing the break to go on for some 17 mins before play resumed was totally unreasonable, that is on the referee.

[baggiematt]

Right call but to take 2 months is scandalous. I can understand if the ref didn?t know that rule (albeit should have) the decision to change the winner should have happened the next day, not 2 months later.

It looks a simple decision for me. You cant stop a game for 17 minutes and still win it.

[baggieal]

Right call but to take 2 months is scandalous. I can understand if the ref didn?t know that rule (albeit should have) the decision to change the winner should have happened the next day, not 2 months later.

It looks a simple decision for me. You cant stop a game for 17 minutes and still win it.

You are completely right Matt. Ref should have given the players after walking off 2 minutes max or told them on his report the recommendation is they forfeit the match.

[Prando]

An interesting wider issue relating to the overriding of the Referee. The battle of Bramall Lane springs to mind. Match abandoned by the Ref, thereby necessitating a replay in Colin’s () view. Megson advising the press that (rightly of course) WBA under no circumstances would play it again. The Football step in and confirm the score would stand - They had no option. Poor old Colin.
Happy days.

[phild]

England to be stripped of their WORLD CUP win in 1966 as new scientific evidence has shown that Geoff Hursts goal had clearly NOT crossed the line

[On Balance]

England to be stripped of their WORLD CUP win in 1966 as new scientific evidence has shown that Geoff Hursts goal had clearly NOT crossed the line

Quite right Phil, If, and a big if, you look at every game prior and subsequent to VAR, things have been misinterpreted and got wrong by officials since the year dot.

Lets wipe the slate clean and start all over again. No one has ever won bugge r all.

[Omegstrat6]

Senegal are apparently appealing this decision so this might not be the end of the story