Morocco Challenges CAF Over Controversial Penalty Call in Women’s AFCON Final Defeat

After the defeat of the Atlas Lionesses in the final of the CAN against Nigeria on Saturday, the FRMF sent a letter to the CAF on Monday to denounce "incorrect and unfair refereeing decisions", notably pointing out the penalty not whistled in favor of Morocco that would have changed the course of the match. The Moroccan federation attached video excerpts to this letter, accompanied by a detailed technical analysis of the controversial sequence.

The Moroccans lost on Saturday against the Nigerians in the final of the Women’s CAN. The Atlas Lionesses delivered a remarkable performance in this match played at the Rabat Olympic Stadium, leading the score with two superb goals from Ghizlane Chebbak and Sanaa Mssoudy. But the Nigerian team managed to turn the situation around, managing to equalize and take the lead, and finally win this final and this CAN, to the great disappointment of Jorge Vilda’s team.

The penalty not whistled in favor of Morocco at a key moment of the match has undoubtedly dampened the hopes of the Moroccan women’s football team to win the continental title. This is not the first time that refereeing has been called into question during a continental competition.