Match interrupted for 17 minutes : why Morocco is demanding the victory by forfeit

At the heart of this approach is the interruption of the match on Sunday, January 19, during which the Senegalese players left the field for more than 17 minutes without the referee’s agreement. The Moroccan Federation is now demanding the strict application of the regulations, which provide for an automatic defeat for any team abandoning an ongoing match.

This legal case is not limited to the incident last Sunday. It also recalls that the Senegalese national team has already experienced similar situations in the past, particularly in 2012 and 2004, during matches against Côte d’Ivoire and Tunisia. For the Moroccan officials, it is essential to mark the point in order to ensure that African competitions remain fair and that each team respects the normal course of the game, whatever the tensions on the pitch.

The Moroccan Federation also points to a heavy atmosphere maintained even before the start of the tournament. Rumors about Morocco’s influence on refereeing would have been circulated to destabilize the Moroccan players and staff. By requesting a review of the decision to resume the match, Morocco wishes that the international bodies protect the sporting fairness.

The objective is to prevent such interruptions from becoming a pressure strategy and that the final result depends solely on the talent of the players on the field.