The African Cup of Nations under fire from new criticism. Just over 24 hours before the CAN final between Senegal and host country Morocco, the Senegalese Football Federation (FSF) published a long press release to express its “concerns” and “serious concerns” on the sidelines of the meeting scheduled in Rabat on Sunday evening (8 p.m.).
“The FSF deplores the obvious absence of an adequate security system upon the arrival of the Senegalese delegation at the Rabat railway station,” the Federation began by listing. This deficiency exposed the players and technical staff to promiscuity and risks incompatible with the standards of a competition of this scale and the standing of a continental final. »
“A problem of sporting fairness”
The Senegalese sports body also attacked the organization of the CAN over the accommodation of the Lions of Teranga. “It was necessary to make an official protest by mail to obtain success,” recalled the FSF. A five-star hotel ended up being allocated to the Senegalese national team.
“The FSF has officially notified the Confederation of African Football (CAF) of its categorical refusal to hold its training sessions at the Mohammed VI Complex. This decision is motivated by the fact that these facilities constitute the base camp of the opposing team, which raises a problem of sporting fairness,” she wrote again in the early morning of this Saturday. She explains that she has not yet received notification from her team’s training site.
Less than 3,000 supporters in the stadium
The question of ticketing has also been talked about for several days, in particular because of the exorbitant prices of tickets to attend the final match which will crown a new winner on Sunday evening. But for the Senegalese Federation, “the situation remains worrying” for other reasons.
“The Federation was able to purchase tickets for its supporters up to the maximum limits officially authorized by CAF, namely: 300 tickets in category 1, 850 in category 2,000 and 1,700 in category 3,” she laments. A total of only 2,850 seats in one stadium, the Prince Moulay Abdellah in Rabat, with a capacity of some 68,000 seats.
“The FSF emphasizes that these quantities, although fully acquired, remain insufficient in view of demand and deplores the restrictions imposed which penalize the Senegalese public,” concludes the press release.
