Morocco's winning the Africa Cup of Nations title, after judges from the Confederation of African Football (CAF) decided to cancel Senegal's victory two months after the chaotic final, has stunned football fans around the world.
While Moroccans took to the streets to celebrate their team's belated success, the Confederation of African Football's decision was met with astonishment in Senegal, where fans and authorities described the decision as "unfair".
The Senegalese government said on Wednesday that it would pursue "all appropriate legal avenues" to overturn the decision, and called for an international investigation into "suspicions of corruption" within CAF.
The Confederation of African Football's appeals committee decided last Tuesday to consider the Senegalese national team as the loser of the final match, after they left the field without the referee's permission, and awarded the victory to the Moroccan national team with a 3-0 forfeit score.
Most of the Senegalese national team players left the stadium for about ten minutes, while Senegalese fans clashed with security personnel behind the goal in protest against a controversial penalty kick awarded to Morocco, after a Senegalese goal was cancelled.
The players later returned to the field, and the Moroccan team missed the penalty kick, before the Senegalese team managed to decide the match by scoring a goal during extra time.
• The crisis extends beyond the stadiums
According to a report published by the German Press Agency (dpa), Morocco and Senegal have long enjoyed close relations based on religion, trade, and culture. The Tijaniyya Sufi order is one of the most widespread Sufi orders in both countries.
Moroccan banks and companies also invest heavily in Senegal's finance and agriculture sectors. Cultural exchanges include student programs, migration, and joint festivals, reflecting the deep ties between the two countries.
However, the tensions surrounding the final match and the decision of the CAF Appeals Committee to cancel Senegal's victory have negatively affected the relationship between Morocco and Senegal.
A Moroccan court last month sentenced 19 Senegalese fans to prison terms of up to one year for rioting during the final match. The Senegalese government expressed its full solidarity with these fans.
Sidina Issa Laye Diop, president of the Senegalese national team supporters' association called "TH Gainde 12," told the Associated Press on Thursday that these incidents should not affect the relationship between Morocco and Senegal.
He added: "But there are limits: if this situation continues, it could somewhat affect the pride of the Senegalese people. If the goal is to preserve friendship, it must be nurtured. Small gestures can have a big impact. These are things we can overlook, especially since, during the trial, no strong argument was presented to justify the continued detention of these fans.".
Mariama Ndiaye, a student in Senegal's capital Dakar, said the decision negatively affected her view of Moroccans.
The Moroccan embassy in Dakar called on Moroccans residing in Senegal on Wednesday to "exercise restraint, remain vigilant, and act responsibly.".
In Casablanca, Ismail Fanani, a specialist in the trade of household appliances, said he felt that some African countries were cheering against Morocco during the final match.
• Allegations of bias shake the African Union
The Senegalese government's allegations of "suspected corruption" in CAF came after anger over what was perceived as bias in favor of Morocco, which is co-hosting the 2030 World Cup and has invested heavily to become a major football power.
CAF President Patrice Motsepe defended the federation against these impressions of bias towards Morocco.
Motsepe said in a video posted on the CAF website: “No country in Africa will be treated in a more favorable, more privileged, or more favorable way than any other country on the African continent.”.
