West Ham defender [Malick Diouf](https://www.claretandhugh.info/west-hams-el-hadji-malick-diouf-spills-the-beans-over-cup-final-agony/) has been dealt a huge blow after the Morocco national football team were officially awarded a 3–0 victory in the final of this year’s Africa Cup of Nations, with the Senegal national football team sensationally stripped of the title.
Diouf has been in brilliant form since returning as an AFCON champion at the end of January.
The dramatic decision was confirmed by the appeal board of the Confederation of African Football on Tuesday evening.
Officials ruled that Senegal had effectively forfeited the final, which was played in Rabat in January, following a controversial protest during the match.
The dispute centred around a penalty awarded to Morocco, which prompted furious protests from Senegal’s bench. Head coach Pape Thiaw, along with several of his players, walked off the pitch for around 15 minutes in response to the decision.
AFCON Final Chaos Ends With Historic Ruling
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The unprecedented ruling means Morocco are now officially recognised as the winners of the tournament.
Whilst the decision is bad news for [West Ham](https://www.claretandhugh.info/west-ham-united-football-club-bio/) man Diouf, it also represents a massive step backwards for a tournament that had done much to restore its credibility and had become something of a poster for African football.