As the meeting of the Disciplinary Commission of the African Football Confederation (CAF) approaches, set to rule on the appeal filed by Morocco against Senegal, journalist Ayoba Faye has published a detailed analysis, widely shared on social media. Through a precise timeline of events, he aims to demonstrate that there can be no question of a definitive match abandonment attributable to the Senegalese team.
According to the elements presented, the penalty awarded to Morocco was given in the 97th minute and 55 seconds, after consulting the Video Assistant Referee (VAR). Contrary to some circulated versions, Senegalese coach Pape Thiaw did not immediately ask his players to leave the pitch following this refereeing decision.
According to this meticulous reconstruction, it was only at the 100th minute and 38 seconds, nearly three minutes later, that Pape Thiaw allegedly invited some of his players to return to the locker room. This decision reportedly came in a climate of high tension, marked by disturbances observed in the stands. The exchanges and discussions on the pitch did not, in any case, exceed eight minutes.
The timeline also indicates that at the 108th minute and 01 second, the Senegalese coach validated Sadio Mané‘s choice to return to the field. Shortly after, at the 109th minute and 38 seconds, Édouard Mendy and several of his teammates would have left the locker room to take their place on the pitch again.
A central point of the argument rests on the fact that the Senegalese team never left the field simultaneously. Players such as Sadio Mané, Idrissa Gana Gueye, and other key figures remained on the playing area throughout the sequence. The effective interruption of the match would thus not have exceeded ten minutes.
After the penalty missed by Brahim Díaz, the referee would ultimately blow the whistle to end regulation time at the 114th minute.
In his analysis, Ayoba Faye also invokes the jurisprudence from the 2019 African Champions League return final between Espérance de Tunis and Wydad Casablanca. During this match, the Moroccan club refused to resume play after a goal was disallowed in the 60th minute, leading to an interruption of over an hour before a definitive abandonment was noted. The CAF then confirmed Espérance’s victory and imposed a fine of $20,000 on Wydad.
In light of these precedents and the reported facts, the journalist believes that Senegal cannot be held responsible for a definitive match abandonment. Therefore, any potential disciplinary sanction could, according to him, only amount to a fine, in accordance with existing jurisprudence.
Finally, the publication raises the question of the steps that the Senegalese Football Federation (FSF) could take with the CAF, particularly regarding reported incidents during the match, such as alleged assaults and violations of the regulatory perimeter around Senegalese goalkeeper Édouard Mendy.
