FIFA chief condemns ugly AFCON scenes amid claims Senegal ‘could be stripped’ of title

FIFA president Gianni Infantino has condemned the ‘unacceptable’ scenes that plagued the Africa Cup of Nations final on Sunday.

Senegal’s players walked off the pitch in protest before going on to win the AFCON title in what was a chaotic showpiece.

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Morocco were awarded a controversial penalty deep into stoppage time and that led to major backlash from their opponents.

After a pause of over 20 minutes, during which police clashed with angry fans pitchside, Brahim Diaz stepped up to the spot.

But Diaz incredibly missed, and then in extra time, Pape Gueye won the tournament for Senegal in dramatic fashion.

The final was also littered with clashes between the two teams, with ball boys even getting involved in the shocking scenes.

And post-match, Moroccan journalists jeered and forced Senegal boss Pape Thiaw to walk out of his press conference.

It was a match that marred the AFCON tournament and has taken all the headlines after the showpiece clash on Sunday.

That has led to the Confederation of African Football (CAF) condemning the scenes, with FIFA chief Infantino now speaking out to do so too.

Infantino said: “We also witnessed unacceptable scenes on the field and in the stands – we strongly condemn the behaviour of some ‘supporters’ as well as some Senegalese players and technical staff members.

“It is unacceptable to leave the field of play in this manner, and equally, violence cannot be tolerated in our sport, it is simply not right.

“We must always respect the decisions taken by the match officials on and off the field of play. Teams must compete on the pitch and within the Laws of the Game, because anything less puts the very essence of football at risk.”

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Could Senegal be stripped of the title?

Infantino spoke on Senegal leaving the pitch in protest during the game amid claims they could be stripped of the AFCON title.

They breached a tournament rule in walking off and therefore have now risked being disqualified completely.

Teams that leave the field of play of their own accord risk being disqualified from the tournament, according to the CAF rulebook.

Article 64 of the rulebook states that if a team ‘refuses to play or leaves the ground before the regular end of the match without the authorisation of the referee, it shall be considered loser and shall be eliminated for good from the current competition.’

This did not happen during or after the AFCON final on Sunday, with Senegal allowed to re-enter the pitch and play on.

So, they could be lucky to have gotten away with the rule break…

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talkSPORT’s take

talkSPORT’s Simon Jordan and Stuart Pearce have given their opinions on the Senegal team walking off the pitch mid-final.

“I think whenever you order your players off the pitch, personally, I think you should forfeit the game,” Pearce said.

“I don’t think it’s right, if the referee orders you off, we understand that. But I didn’t see the issues that they took the players off the pitch for being that contentious.”

He added: “I think it just shows so badly on football.”

Jordan then weighed in, saying: “It’s a terrible look for the competition…it’s poor conduct.

“This manager has gone a little bit too far.”