A week after the Africa Cup of Nations controversy ended, Senegalese Football Association president Abdoulaye Fall criticized Morocco and CAF on Sunday.
In the final, Senegal defeated the host Morocco 1-0 after overtime, but some players briefly left the field after the home team was awarded a penalty kick at the end of normal game time.
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Fall listed shortcomings in accommodation, security and officiating, and suggested the home country was receiving preferential treatment.
“No country is as opposed to Morocco as Senegal,” Fall said in a video posted on the Senegalese website Seneweb.
Fall, who spoke in the local Wolof language at Saturday’s ceremony, noted that Moroccan Fouzi Lekja is one of the vice-presidents of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), which “Morocco controls. Let’s be honest,” he said.
Fall complained that final match officials were announced too late.
“We had to know two days before who the referee was for the game. We asked them who it would be and they told us they didn’t have any information yet. There was a deadline to challenge the referee (but) we were notified the night before the game, at 10 p.m.,” Farr said.
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He said CAF explained it “wanted to protect him by taking the pressure off the referee” but that this meant “we can no longer challenge him”.
Fall also complained about the hotel where the Senegalese team stayed in Rabat for the final, as they had spent previous rounds in Tangier.
“The Senegalese team cannot stay in this hotel in the city center because there is a lot of noise and there are no roads.”
Furthermore, when the team arrived in Rabat, the players found themselves without security, he said.
He also complained that the Moroccans “want to force us to train in their stronghold, the ultra-modern Mohammed VI Centre, which is unparalleled in Senegal”.
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“If we go there, they’ll know everything about our team.”
Fall said that after he threatened not to attend the final, security was increased, the team was able to train at another stadium and a new hotel was found for them.
In the final, Congolese referee Jean-Jacques Ndara adjudicated a foul on Senegal’s late goal and then awarded the host country a penalty after another video replay.
As play was paused for 15 minutes, some Senegalese players briefly left the pitch while their supporters attempted to break into the pitch.
When play resumed, Brahim Diaz missed a penalty.
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