Winners of the CAN final against Morocco on Sunday in Rabat, the Senegalese players had almost all left the field before the end of the match, annoyed by the refereeing. A situation that could have cost them dearly.
The scene is unprecedented, or almost. To protest against a penalty awarded to Morocco, while there were two minutes remaining in added time (90e+6), the Senegal players left the pitch at the Prince Moulay Abdellah stadium on Sunday during the final of the African Cup of Nations. The latter were already ulcerated by a goal denied to Ismaïla Sarr a moment earlier, and had in mind the numerous controversies linked to arbitration which concerned Morocco, the host country.
After long minutes, under the leadership of Sadio Mané advised by former French coach Claude Le Roy, the Lions of Teranga returned to the field. As we know, Brahim Diaz finally missed his penalty and Senegal was crowned (1-0) after extra time. But the following question arises: should the African champion have been declared the loser for having initially refused to continue the match? The response given by the official regulations of the CAN risks annoying more than one Moroccan.
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Defeat on green carpet according to CAN regulations
The rule, mentioned in chapter 27 article 64 then in chapter 35 article 82, says this: “If, for any reason, a team […] leaves the field before the legal end of the match without the authorization of the referee, he will be considered the loser and will be definitively eliminated from the current competition.
Almost identical story in the regulations of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), chapter 2 section 8 article 148: “If a team refuses to continue a match that has started, it will be punished with a fine of a minimum of 20,000 US dollars and will, in principle, be declared the loser.”
Amr Abdallah Dalsh / REUTERS
If we refer to the Laws of the Game decreed by the IFAB, it is only indicated that a player “is warned if he is guilty of having deliberately left the field without the authorization of the referee” (law 12 article 4). Which would have had few consequences since the only Senegalese who had received a yellow card before the chaos (Lamine Camara) had been replaced.
Let the result play out on the pitch
Why did the referee, Jean-Jacques Ndala Ngambo, not apply the rules to the letter? We must first remember that, in the majority of cases, it is advisable and preferable not to definitively stop a match, especially in an atmosphere as electric as that of Rabat. The safety of everyone is at stake. Clashes broke out in the stands, and several Senegalese supporters left their seats to try to burst onto the field.
For Mr. Ndala Ngambo, it was also, perhaps, a matter of marring the end of the competition as little as possible. Or at least to limit the damage. A conclusion with a forfeit by one of the two teams when the score was tied (0-0) would have created an unprecedented scandal. It was ultimately through the game that the Senegalese and Moroccan destinies were decided. It was up to the 38-year-old Congolese referee to issue an ultimatum to the Senegalese or not.
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The Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF), however, does not intend to stop there. In a press release published this Monday, she announced “resort to legal procedures” with CAF and FIFA “in order to rule on the withdrawal of the Senegalese national team from the field”. It is unlikely that the procedure initiated will change anything in the result. Senegal should present itself well at the next World Cup, against the French team, as African champions.
