Senegal head coach Pape Thiaw has been suspended for five matches and fined $100,000 for “unsporting conduct” after he told his team to leave the pitch during the Africa Cup of Nations final against Morocco.
The Confederation of African Football levied the punishment to Thiaw on Thursday as well as fining Senegal’s federation $615,000 due to the team’s conduct and the behavior of its fans on Jan. 19.
Also, Senegal players Iliman Ndiaye and Ismaila Sarr were banned for two CAF matches following unprofessional behavior toward the referee.
The suspensions only apply to official CAF matches and not the upcoming FIFA World Cup in June.
As for Morocco, captain Achraf Hakimi received a two-match CAF ban for his “unsporting behavior” during the final. Teammate Ismael Saibari also was suspended for three official CAF matches and fined $100,000.
The Moroccan soccer federation also was fined a total of $315,000 for the behavior of its players and staff as well as fans for using lasers as a means to distract the opposition in the final. The penalty also included the behavior of the ball boys, who were spotted taking away a hand towel from the Senegalese goalkeeper during the match.
The CAF’s Disciplinary Committee dismissed Morocco’s request to have the result of the match overturned after the Senegal players walked off the pitch.
Senegal won 1-0 on an extra-time goal by Pape Gueye. However, that only came following a series of events toward the end of regulation that led to most of Senegal’s players leaving the field.
The controversy began when Senegal was denied a stoppage-time goal due to a foul that was called in the build-up. Moments later, Morocco was awarded a penalty kick following a VAR check when Senegal’s El Hadji Malick Diouf was called for a foul in the box.
Many Senegal players walked off the field in protest, leading to a delay of more than 15 minutes. Meanwhile, some Senegalese fans tried to enter the field while fights broke out in the stands.
Once the Senegal players returned, Brahim Diaz’s penalty kick was saved by Edouard Mendy.
–Field Level Media
