Rabat – The Confederation of African Football (CAF) Appeal Board issued its final rulings on the cases related to the chaotic AFCON final in Morocco.
The Appeal Board ruled that it is partially upholding several appeals.
The appeal resulted, however, in reduced financial penalties for Morocco’s football federation and an amendment to the ruling against Moroccan player Ismaël Saibari.
According to the ruling, the decision regarding Saibari is partially upheld, as he committed misconduct in violation of Articles 82 and 83 of the CAF Disciplinary Code.
“The sanction imposed on Mr. Ismaël Saibari is amended to a suspension of two (2) official CAF matches, of which one (1) match is suspended,” CAF said, noting that the fine against the player has been set aside.
The appeal lodged regarding the ball boys’ incident was also partially upheld, CAF said, stating that the Fédération Royale Marocaine de Football (FRMF) is responsible for the conduct of the ball boys during the match.
The fine imposed on the FRMF in respect of this incident has therefore been reduced to $50,000.
CAF, however, confirmed that the appeal regarding “interference around the VAR review area” is dismissed, upholding the fine imposed on the FRMF.
The appeal lodged in respect of the laser incident was also partially upheld, with the fine reduced to $10,000.
“All other motions or prayers for relief are dismissed,” CAF concluded.
A key development in the case is CAF’s decision to award Morocco the AFCON title.
The CAF Appeal Board announced that the Senegal national team forfeited the final match, with the result recorded as a 3–0 victory in favor of the Atlas Lions.