Senegal coach Pape Thiaw has been banned for five matches and fined £72,000 as part of a raft of sanctions for the chaotic scenes that marred the Africa Cup of Nations final against Morocco earlier this month. Thiaw ordered his players from the field in protest at two late decisions that saw his side have a goal disallowed and then Morocco awarded a penalty.
"It was never my intention to go against the principles of the game I love so much," Thiaw wrote on Instagram on Thursday. "I simply tried to protect my players from injustice. What some may perceive as a violation of the rules is nothing more than an emotional reaction to the bias of the situation. After deliberation, we decided to resume the match and go for the trophy."
Morocco had the chance to win the game, staged on home territory in Rabat, in stoppage time when Senegal defender El Hadji Malick Diouf was adjudged to have pulled Brahim Diaz in the area when jostling at a corner. The incident came just minutes after Senegal had what appeared a legitimate goal ruled out by referee Jean Jacques Ndala for an apparent shove on Achraf Hakimi by Abdoulaye Seck.
