Ammon News - Morocco were declared Africa Cup of Nations champions and ​Senegal were stripped of the title after an appeal over the result of the final was upheld by the Confederation of ‌African Football (CAF) on Tuesday.

Senegal were ruled to have forfeited the game in the Moroccan capital Rabat on January 18 because they walked off the pitch in protest at a potentially decisive penalty awarded against them.

They returned after 14 minutes to win the match 1-0 courtesy of a Pape Gueye goal in extra time. CAF's Appeal Board on Tuesday replaced that result with ​a 3-0 victory for Morocco.

The decision adds a further layer of controversy to the final, where the walk-off and fighting between players and spectators ​had CAF conceding that the image of African football had been severely tarnished.

The Senegalese Football Federation (SFF) said they would now ⁠be taking the matter to the Swiss-based Court of Arbitration for Sport, seeking to overturn Tuesday's decision.

"This is a travesty; this decision is based on ​absolutely nothing. It has no legal foundation," Abdoulaye Seydou Sow, the Secretary General of SFF, told state broadcaster RTS1.

"And from what we saw this morning when the ​hearing began, we already had serious doubts — clearly, the judge did not come to rule on the case, he came to carry out orders.

"The president of the federation will get in touch with the lawyers; we will engage with the appropriate authorities, and then we will go to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, which will issue the final decision.

"We will ​not back down. Senegalese people should have no doubt. The truth is on Senegal's side, the law is on Senegal's side."
"RESPECTING THE RULES"

Tuesday’s decision means ​Morocco are crowned African champions for a second time, 50 years after they won the Cup of Nations for the first time.

The Royal Moroccan Football Federation acknowledged the decision and ‌reiterated that ⁠the appeal was aimed solely at having the competition regulations properly applied.

Reuters