AFCON final exploded into chaos after ‘act of simulation’ – ex-Fifa chief
Senegal won the Africa Cup of Nations on Sunday after an action-packed final against host nation Morocco.
Morocco were the favourites to win AFCON, and they dominated much of the action before chaos descended in the final minutes.
Senegal were denied a late goal for a foul on Achraf Hakimi, before a VAR review saw Morocco awarded a penalty in stoppage time.
Pape Thiaw waved his players off the pitch in protest following the decision, with the team only returning to see Brahim Diaz chip his penalty into the arms of Edouard Mendy around 20 minutes later.
Several Premier League stars were at AFCON, but it was Everton‘s Iliman Ndiaye and Idrissa Gueye, Crystal Palace’s Ismaela Sarr and Tottenham’s Pape Sarr who came out on top when Pape Gueye scored in extra time.
Keith Hackett rules on key AFCON incident
Much of the discussion following the game has been about the penalty incident, and the scenes that followed it.
But much of the drama could have been avoided had referee Jean-Jacques Ndala and the VAR come to a different decision on Senegal’s goal.
| Senegal | Match stats | Morocco |
| 50% | Possession | 50% |
| 14 | Shots | 21 |
| 7 | On target | 4 |
| 1.71 | Expected goals (xG) | 2.18 |
| 8 | Corners | 10 |
Abdoulaye Seck had made minimal contact with Hakimi when the PSG defender went down, with the referee blowing up as Sarr bundled in the rebound.
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, former PGMOL chief and Fifa official Keith Hackett said: “I do believe that the ruling out of the goal was a very harsh decision by the referee who reacted to the defender going to ground too easily.
“When the forward ran into the penalty area, the defender tried to stop the attacker by holding out his arms.
“Football is a contact sport, and then the same forward also made contact with his opponent, and we witnessed the reaction by the defender, who went to ground far too easily.
“The defenders reaction was an act of simulation. In my opinion this goal should have counted. This goal should not have been ruled out.”
What Pape Thiaw said after AFCON final
The scenes at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium were seen across the world and left many shocked by what had happened.
There was sympathy for Senegal, who had clearly been denied a fair goal, but their actions will be the subject of heavy debate.
Speaking after the game, Thiaw said: “I apologise for the football. After reflecting on it I made them come back.
“You can react in the heat of the moment. We accept the errors of the referee. We shouldn’t have done it but it’s done and now we present our apologies to football.”
Whether football accepts those apologies remains to be seen, with the Confederation of African Football set to investigate the footage.