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Source: Travel And Tour World

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⁠Amid the controversy over ⁠Senegal being stripped of the Africa Cup of Nations title and Morocco being declared winners, the international debut of Issa Diop proved something of an irony ⁠as well as a public relations coup.

The Fulham defender was born in France and played for the country at the Under-21 level, but on Thursday had his application to switch nationality to Morocco approved by the ⁠world football governing body, FIFA, and was immediately drafted into the starting lineup for Friday night’s 1-1 draw against Ecuador in Madrid.

Diop, whose father is Senegalese and mother from Morocco, had previously rejected overtures from both countries to play for them while holding out hope he might represent France.

The 29-year-old said several times ‌he wanted to play for Les Bleus, but with no call-up from France coach, Didier Deschamps, he has now taken up the opportunity to possibly play at the World Cup for Morocco.

“I was very happy to play in a team with a lot of good players, and I think I’ve made a good choice,” Diop said after Friday’s match.

Diop had talks with Morocco’s new coach, Mohamed Ouahbi, and Moroccan Federation President Fouzi Lekjaa.

“They explained their vision to me, and I ⁠was taken in with open arms by a cheerful group of players ⁠with a great atmosphere in the camp,” he said.

The North Africans have a track record of assiduously courting players with links to the country who they believe can improve their national team, but this is the first tug-of-war over player loyalty ⁠with another African country they have won.

Senegal also draw heavily on their diaspora in France, and the 28-man squad which won the Cup of Nations ⁠in Morocco in January featured 12 French-born players. Senegal this ⁠week formally contested the decision of the Confederation of African Football’s Appeal Board to take the title away from them. They were ruled to have forfeited the final in Rabat on January 18 because they walked off the pitch in protest at ‌a potentially decisive penalty awarded to Morocco, but have now referred the matter to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. The posturing between the two countries continued on Friday when Senegal held a news ‌conference, ‌before Saturday’s friendly against Peru, in front of a banner that read “Champions of Africa”.

They are expected to display the Cup of Nations trophy to supporters before the match at the Stade de France.

The head of Senegal’s football governing body has pledged to mount a “crusade” against a ⁠decision by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to strip the country’s African Cup of Nations title, as its legal team warned the case could reshape the world of football ⁠and undermine the principle that refereeing decisions are final.

“This decision cannot even be considered a true sporting justice ruling – it is so crude, so absurd, so irrational,” lawyer Juan de Dios Crespo Perez, representing Senegal’s ruling body, told a news conference on Thursday.

“It openly violates the laws of the ‌game and the principle that refereeing decisions are final.”

“In the face of this administrative robbery, the FSF refuses fatality. We will fight a moral and legal crusade,” Abdoulaye Fall, president of the Senegalese Football Federation (FSF), said.

The FSF lodged an appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on ⁠Wednesday against the decision to overturn the result.

Senegal were ruled to ⁠have forfeited the final in Rabat on January 18 after walking off the pitch in protest at a potentially decisive penalty awarded to Morocco.They returned and scored a goal in extra time to win the game ⁠1-0.

Lawyer Seydou Diagne said Senegal suffered a “betrayal” and has gathered international lawyers from Switzerland, Spain, France and Senegal to plead the case.

Senegal’s legal team said the country still considers itself the champion of Africa despite the CAF’s ruling.

“If CAS let this situation happen, the winner of the next World Cup could be decided within a lawyers’ firm,” Diagne said.

Senegal, who have qualified for this year’s World Cup, face Peru in a friendly in Paris on Saturday.

Serge Vittoz, part of a ⁠six-lawyer legal team in Paris, said they were asking ⁠CAS to speed up the process.

“Such a procedure usually lasts nine to 12 months, but we want it to go faster. However, all parties must agree to it,” Vittoz said.

Asked whether the trophy would be presented to their ‌fans at the Stade de France on Saturday, Fall said: “I’ll see you at the Stade de France on March 28.”

Vittoz argued that the decision of CAF’s appeal board to overturn ‌the ‌result of the final had not been explained.

“To be valid, a decision must be explained. It has not been, so Senegal are still African champions,” Vittoz said.

CAF’s South African president Patrice Motsepe insisted last week that “not a single country in Africa will be treated in a manner that is more preferential, or more advantageous, or more favourable than any other.”

An appeal to CAS can typically take months to schedule a hearing, then weeks or months more to announce a verdict.

Senegal have lodged an appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport over the decision to strip them of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) title and hand the trophy to Morocco, the Swiss-based tribunal has confirmed.

“The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) confirms receipt of an appeal by the Senegalese Football Federation (FSF) against the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and the Royal Moroccan Football Federation,” CAS said in a statement on Wednesday.

Senegal are hoping to overturn the decision by African football’s governing body to strip them of the title after several of their players walked off the pitch protesting against a penalty awarded to Morocco during the AFCON final on January 18, which the Senegalese side went on to win 1-0 in extra time.

CAF announced on March 17 that it had upheld an appeal by the Royal Moroccan Football Federation, saying Senegal had infringed tournament regulations by walking off.

As a result, it declared Senegal to have forfeited the match, turning their 1-0 victory into a 3-0 defeat, making hosts Morocco the champions.

CAS said Senegal’s appeal “seeks to set aside the CAF decision and declare the FSF winners of AFCON”.

CAS Director General Matthieu Reeb added: “We understand that teams and fans are eager to know the final decision, and we will ensure that arbitration proceedings are conducted as swiftly as possible, while respecting the right of all parties to a fair hearing.”

Farcical final

The final flashpoint came when Morocco were awarded a hotly contested spot-kick in injury time with the game goalless.

The penalty was given by Congolese referee Jean-Jacques Ndala right at the end of the allotted eight added minutes in normal time following a VAR check for a challenge on Brahim Diaz by El Hadji Malick Diouf.

Some Senegalese supporters attempted a pitch invasion out of anger, while Senegal’s players halted the game for nearly 20 minutes to protest the penalty award.

After Senegal’s players eventually returned, having been coaxed back onto the pitch by Sadio Mane, Morocco’s Diaz took the kick, but his penalty was saved.

Pape Gueye then went on to score the goal in extra time that gave Senegal a 1-0 victory and their second continental title after their maiden triumph in 2022.

The Moroccan federation reacted to CAF’s decision to overturn the result by saying it had “never intended to contest the sporting performance of the teams participating in this competition, but solely to request the application of the competition regulations”.

CAF president Patrice Motsepe has said he supports the right of African countries to make appeals to CAS, saying the continent’s football governing body would “respect the decision which is taken at the highest level”.

In the immediate aftermath of the final, FIFA president Gianni Infantino, who attended the match, had condemned “some Senegal players” for the “unacceptable scenes”.

Both Senegal and Morocco are in action this week, playing friendly matches as they prepare for the upcoming World Cup.

Senegal play Peru at the Stadium of France in Paris on Saturday, while Morocco, who have a new coach following the recent appointment of Mohamed Ouahbi to replace Walid Regragui, face Ecuador in Madrid on Friday and then take on Paraguay in Lens, France, on March 31.