Senegal and Morocco are bound by religion and trade but divided by the collapse of AFCON Africa Cup of Nations News

When governing body officials awarded the Africa Cup of Nations title to Morocco two months after the chaotic final, overturning Senegal’s victory, football fans were stunned.

The impact of the decision could spread beyond sports and weaken ties between nations.

While Moroccan fans took to the streets to celebrate their team’s late success, the decision by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) was met with disbelief in Senegal, with fans and officials calling the decision “unfair”.

On Wednesday Senegal’s government said it would pursue “all appropriate legal channels” to overturn the decision and called for an international investigation into “suspected corruption” within African football’s governing body.

The Senegal Football Federation (FSF) announced on Thursday that it had instructed lawyers, apparently threatening to take the matter to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). Such a move could lead to a year of legal battle before a verdict.

CAF’s appeals board on Tuesday ruled that Senegal forfeited the final by leaving the field of play without the referee’s permission and awarded Morocco a 3-0 win by default.

The game was delayed for 14 minutes as most of the Senegalese players and staff returned to their dressing rooms, while Senegalese fans protested a controversial penalty call for Morocco and fought back behind the goals.

The players came back, Morocco missed a penalty and Senegal won the match 1-0 in extra time.

What are the bonds that bind Morocco and Senegal?

Morocco and Senegal have long shared close ties on religion, trade and culture. The Tijaniyyah, a Sufi Muslim order, is widely followed in both countries. Moroccan banks and companies invest heavily in Senegal’s financial and agricultural sectors. Cultural exchanges include student events, migration and joint festivals.

But tensions surrounding the final and CAF’s appeal court ruling to overturn Senegal’s victory have strained relations between the two countries.

Last month, a Moroccan court sentenced 18 Senegalese fans to up to a year in prison for hooliganism at the final. The Senegalese government has expressed solidarity with Senegalese supporters.

Sedina Issa Le Diop, president of the Senegalese national team fan group “12th Guinde” told The Associated Press on Thursday that the incidents should not damage relations between Senegal and Morocco.

“However, there are limits: if this continues, it may affect somewhat the pride of the Senegalese people,” said Diop. “If the aim is to preserve friendship, it must be nurtured. Small gestures can have a big impact. These are things we can back down, especially during the trial, when no solid argument has justified the continued detention of these supporters.”

Mariama Ndeye, a student in Senegal’s capital Dakar, said the decision had negatively affected her view of Moroccans.

“When things go well, they call us their brothers. But when things don’t go their way, they start getting nasty,” Ndeye said.

Politics and sports are rarely separated, as Senegal and Morocco have discovered

On Wednesday, the Moroccan embassy in Dakar called on Moroccans in Senegal to “demonstrate restraint, vigilance and a sense of responsibility”.

“In all cases, it is important to remember that this is just a match, the outcome of which should never justify any kind of escalation or excessive criticism between brotherly people,” the embassy said.

While the controversy centered around a football match, ill feelings spread more generally.

In Casablanca, home goods business owner Ismail Fnani said it felt like other African countries were rooting against Morocco in the final.

“Honestly, my views towards Senegalese and sub-Saharan Africans changed after this,” he said. “We sympathized and helped them because they were immigrants who struggled to get here. If there was once compassion and empathy, now I treat them like they treated us.”

Mohamed El-Arabi, who works at a grocery store in Casablanca, said he did not celebrate the decision to award Morocco.

“We preferred to stay with Senegal because it doesn’t feel right otherwise,” El Arabi said.

“People here have started hating the Senegalese. They don’t help them anymore. We used to be like brothers, especially because they are Muslims like us, but that doesn’t happen anymore,” he said.

The Senegalese government’s accusation of “suspected corruption” at CAF follows anger over its leaning towards Morocco, which co-hosts the 2030 World Cup and has invested heavily in becoming a football superpower.

On Wednesday, CAF president Patrice Motsepe defended the body against perceptions of bias towards Morocco.

“A country in Africa cannot be treated more preferentially, or more favorably or more favorably than any other country on the African continent,” Motsepe said in a video published on the CAF website.