Tottenham midfielder stripped of winner’s medal after controversial CAF appeal
A Tottenham Hotspur star has been stripped of his winner’s medal due to a controversial incident in the final just a matter of months ago.
The Tottenham squad made history last summer by beating Man United in Bilbao to win the Europa League, thus becoming the first Spurs side to lift European silverware in 41 years.
A Spurs midfielder, who played an important part in the Europa League-winning campaign, picked up yet another trophy just eight months later.
Pape Sarr returned to Tottenham in January as an AFCON champion with Senegal, although the 23-year-old did not play a significant role in his nation’s campaign.
Tottenham midfielder Pape Sarr stripped off his AFCON medal
BBC Sport are now reporting that two months after the controversial final, the Confederation of African Football (Caf) have stripped Senegal of the AFCON title and declared Morocco the winners of the tournament.
Senegal overcame Morocco 1-0 in the final in extra time, but not before Pape Sarr’s teammates staged a walkout in injury time after the home nation was awarded a controversial penalty.
After a delay of 17 minutes, the Senegal players returned to the pitch, and Brahim Diaz failed to convert from the spot-kick, with Pape Gueye eventually netting an extra-time winner for the East African side.
However, after an appeal from the Moroccan FA, the result of the game has been overturned by Caf, who have now concluded that Senegal had been “declared to have forfeited the final” when they walked out, with the result thus being recorded as a 3-0 win for the North African side.
Senegal will appeal Caf’s decision
African football’s governing body suggested that the behaviour of the Senegal players in the final infringed on Article 82 of the competition’s regulations.
Article 82 states that if a team refuses to play or leaves the ground before the end of regulation time without the referee’s authorisation, they would be considered to have lost and eliminated from the competition.
However, we may not have heard the last of this, as BBC Sport reveals that Senegal have called the ruling an “unfair, unprecedented and unacceptable decision which brings discredit to African football”.
Senegal’s Football Federation have reportedly made it clear that they will appeal Caf’s decision at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
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