Morocco has announced plans to pursue legal action over the outcome of Sunday’s Africa Cup of Nations final in Rabat, where Senegal briefly walked off the pitch in protest against a penalty awarded to the hosts before returning to win the match 1-0 after extra time, despite Morocco missing the spot kick at the end of regulation time following a 14-minute delay, with the Royal Moroccan Football Federation stating that it would seek rulings from the Confederation of African Football and FIFA “to rule on the walk-off of the Senegalese national team from the field during the final against the Moroccan national team, as well as on the events surrounding this decision, following the referee’s awarding of a penalty that was deemed correct by all experts,” adding that “This situation had a significant impact on the normal course of the match and on the players’ performance,” while FIFA President Gianni Infantino and CAF earlier condemned the incident, with Infantino saying, “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,” adding that, “It is unacceptable to leave the field of play in this manner and, equally, violence cannot be tolerated in our sport,” and stressing that, “We must always respect the decisions taken by the match officials on and off the field of play,” as CAF said it was reviewing footage and confirmed that disciplinary proceedings would follow, noting that it “condemns the unacceptable behaviour from some players and officials.”
