The Senegalese Football Federation (FSF) has accused Morocco’s local organising committee of undermining their preparations for Sunday’s Africa Cup of Nations final against the hosts.
In a statement on social media, the FSF protested about a lack of adequate security on arrival, inadequate accommodation, confusion over training facilities and insufficient tickets being provided for Senegal fans.
Having beaten Egypt in Wednesday’s semi-final in Tangier, the Senegal squad made the 75-minute journey south to the capital on the Al-Boraq high-speed train. On arrival in Rabat they were surrounded by fans and locals demanding selfies and videos released on social media show them being jostled as they made their way through the station to the team bus.
The FSF statement spoke of a “clear lack of adequate security measures” that “exposed the players and technical staff to overcrowding and risks incompatible with the standards of a competition of this magnitude and the prestige of a continental final”.
“We have to say what happened is abnormal, abnormal for a team like Senegal to be left with the crowd like that,” the Senegal manager, Pape Thiaw, said on Saturday. “The players were in danger. Anything could have happened through the actions of malicious people.”
On reaching their hotel, the Senegal delegation was unsatisfied and filed a formal complaint to secure better facilities. The FSF also refused to train at the Mohammed VI complex just outside Rabat, insisting to be expected to train where the Morocco squad has been based since before the tournament began “raises a question of sporting fairness”.
The FSF also protested that Senegal have been allocated only 2,850 tickets for its fans, which it termed “insufficient given the demand”, saying that it “deplores the imposed restrictions, which penalise the Senegalese public.” The Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium has a capacity of 69,500.
Tensions have been inflamed over the past few days with visiting teams accusing Morocco of seeking every conceivable advantage. Nigeria were unhappy with the refereeing during their penalty shootout defeat to the hosts in the semi-final, while the Nigeria goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali had his towel stolen three times by a ballboy and Moroccan officials.
Refereeing has been a recurring issue at this tournament, with the match officials for all four quarter-finals changed less than 24 hours before kick-off, in part because Morocco protested about the Egyptian official they had been allocated for their game against Cameroon.
Samuel Eto’o, the president of the Cameroonian football federation, was subsequently fined $20,000 and banned for four matches after complaining about decisions during the game. The Confederation of African Football delayed announcing the referee for the final to try to prevent a similar protest.
The organising committee has been approached for comment.
