A Moroccan lawmaker has alleged that Senegal’s players were ‘practicing magic’ during the heated Africa Cup of Nations final.
Senegal lifted the AFCON trophy following a chaotic, controversy-filled showdown in Rabat on Sunday evening.
The Lions of Teranga thought they had sealed the win late on, but Ismaila Sarr’s effort was chalked off after what appeared to be a marginal foul earlier in the move.
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Momentum swung toward the hosts when referee Jean Jacques Ndala awarded Morocco a comparably debatable penalty after El Hadji Malick Diouf brought down Brahim Diaz.
Amid the drama, Senegal head coach Pape Thiaw escorted his players off the pitch, with several heading straight down the tunnel.
Play was halted for almost 20 minutes before the teams re-emerged and Diaz stepped up with a chance to win the title for Morocco.
Yet former Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy calmly denied Diaz’s bold panenka, forcing the match into extra time, where Pape Gueye’s brilliant finish ultimately handed Senegal the title.
The result has sparked anger in Morocco, with footage circulating online that appears to show a parliamentary representative calling for the referee to be sanctioned and put on trial for restarting the game after Senegal walked off, instead of abandoning the match and awarding the trophy to the hosts.
The same politician is said to have claimed that Senegal were ‘practicing magic’ after returning to the dressing room before Diaz took the penalty.
Hostility between the sides reportedly continued after the match, with Moroccan players and ball boys allegedly trying to seize Mendy’s towel.
Thiaw later stormed out of his post-match press conference after being greeted with whistles and taunts from Moroccan reporters.
