Report: New evidence supports “Atlas lions”

The Spanish newspaper “Sport” confirmed that the controversy surrounding the final of the African Cup of Nations between the Moroccan national team and its Senegalese counterpart is still ongoing, in light of the emergence of new data and reports that support the position of the “Atlas Lions” regarding the confrontation hosted by Rabat.

The same newspaper explained that the events that followed the controversial penalty kick in the last minutes brought the issue back to the forefront, especially after the Senegal players protested and temporarily left the field, which was considered a decisive factor in stopping the match. This story was based on official reports issued by the Confederation of African Football, which favored Morocco in its administrative decision.

One of the reports, prepared by the general coordinator of the match, indicated that the Senegal players went to the clothing warehouse in a protest move, with the exception of the star Sadio Mane, who tried to persuade his teammates to return to complete the match, which was considered evidence that the match was stopped due to an influential group withdrawal.

In a related context, additional data revealed that the CAF arbitration committee acknowledged that there were errors in dealing with the incident, as no warnings were given to the Senegalese players after their return, in order to avoid ending the match permanently, which intensified the controversy over the arbitration decisions.

On the other hand, CAF President Patrice Motsepe did not provide decisive clarifications regarding the possibility of interference in the management of the match, merely confirming that the file is still open, and that the final word will go to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

The newspaper concluded its report by emphasizing that the dispute is still far from being resolved, at a time when Morocco adheres to the legitimacy of the decision issued by the CAF, while Senegal insists on its position, which makes this final one of the most controversial files in the history of African football.