Everton pair Iliman Ndiaye and Idrissa Gueye have been hit by a deicison to overturn Senegal's win over Morocco in the Africa Cup of Nations final two months on from the game
Since joining in July 2024, Iliman Ndiaye has established himself as Everton’s ‘magic man’ but while his twinkling toes can conjure up moments like his no-look pass to Idrissa Gueye that outfoxed Newcastle United’s Jacob Murphy, even he couldn’t have envisaged a trick that would see him and his Blues colleague stripped of their Africa Cup of Nations title.
After the bizarre and unprecedented decision to overturn Senegal’s 1-0 triumph over Morocco in the final some two months ago on January 18, because of the victors’ earlier walk-off, are football officials really going to send in the heavies like bailiffs to confiscate the medals from Ndiaye and Gueye’s houses, along with all the other members of the Lions of Teranga squad? For better or for worse, the game was completed, Senegal were the winners, Morocco were the losers, the trophy and medals were handed out and there was a victory parade in Dakar.
Everton – who had enjoyed arguably their best result of the season earlier in the day, winning 1-0 at an Aston Villa side who had been victorious in their previous 11 home games – lit up Hill Dickinson Stadium that night in the Senegalese colours of green and gold to mark their duo’s triumph. On their return to Finch Farm the following Friday, Ndiaye and Gueye were both greeted to a hero’s welcome, which included a guard of honour from their team-mates, while ahead of their next club fixture at home to Leeds United – wearing their medals around their necks – they posed for photographs on the pitch with fans who had made a banner reading: “Our Kings of Africa,” and club ambassadors Graham Stuart and Ian Snodin who presented them with photographic montages of the success.
All these things happened. It was not a dream.
Yet now, eight weeks on, the powers that be are telling us that Morocco – who lost the game – not Senegal are the champions of Africa. Everton – along with all the other clubs who had members of the Senegalese squad – lost Ndiaye and Gueye for Seven matches apiece while they went to play in a major international tournament that continues to be played mid-season, so was it all for nothing?
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Ndiaye has taken to Instagram showing a picture of Senegal lifting the trophy and remarked: “Earned not given!”
Meanwhile, Gueye, who won the tournament for a second time, wrote in French: “Titles, trophies, medals... all of this is fleeting. What really matters is that every supporter can go home and meet his family.
“The Senegalese people have shown what they are: worthy in victory; worthy in ordeal. This is the Teranga.
“We know what we experienced that night in Rabat. And no one will be able to take that away from us, inch’Allah (God willing).”
For those of you who weren’t on top of what went on during that crazy night in Rabat, or perhaps need their memories jogging, here is a recap.
The game appeared to be heading for a stalemate but then sprang into life in stoppage time. First, on 92 minutes, Senegal thought they were ahead when Ismaila Sarr nodded the ball in from close range after Abdoulaye Seck slammed a header of his own against the crossbar.
However, referee Jean-Jacques Ndala Ngambo judged that Seck had fouled Achraf Hakimi in the build-up, despite the replay suggesting that there was minimal contact on the Paris Saint-Germain defender. Then, Morocco’s Brahim Diaz tumbled to the turf following a tussle with El Hadji Malick Diouf from a corner kick in the fifth minute of stoppage time and while the man in the middle from DR Congo initially looked like he would allow play to continue, he was later persuaded to consult his monitor by VAR assistant Pierre Atcho of Gabon.
The match official was subsequently surrounded by members of both teams’ coaching staffs as well as their players, with pushes and shoves clearly visible throughout the process. The Stade Prince Moulay Abdallah Stadium erupted when the referee pointed to the penalty spot, booking Diouf and Sarr on his way to the box.
The awarding of the spot-kick sparked intense protests from the Senegal players, but the madness was only just beginning. In a shocking twist, Senegal head coach Pape Thiaw appeared to call his players off the pitch in response to the controversial call.
There was then a delay of over 15 minutes before the Senegalese players returned to the pitch but with the opportunity to hand his nation the AFCON title for the first time in 50 years, Real Madrid man Diaz despatched a tame ‘Panenka’ penalty that proved a simple save for ex-Chelsea keeper Edouard Mendy with the referee immediately blowing for full-time.
Senegal’s tactics ultimately paid off, though, as four minutes into extra time, Pape Gueye struck the winning goal for them as he fired in a stunning shot off the crossbar. However, their antics came under fire from FIFA president Gianni Infantino.
Although the Italian, who handed US president Donald Trump a newly created ‘FIFA Peace Prize’ at the previous month’s draw for this summer’s World Cup finals – is that decision now going to be reversed? – congratulated Senegal for their victory, he also issued the following warning in an Instagram post.
He declared: “Unfortunately, we also witnessed unacceptable scenes on the field and in the stands – we strongly condemn the behaviour of some ‘supporters’ as well as some Senegalese players and technical staff members. It is unacceptable to leave the field of play in this manner, and equally, violence cannot be tolerated in our sport, it is simply not right.
“We must always respect the decisions taken by the match officials on and off the field of play. Teams must compete on the pitch and within the Laws of the Game, because anything less puts the very essence of football at risk.
“It is also the responsibility of teams and players to act responsibly and set the right example for fans in the stadiums and millions watching around the world. The ugly scenes witnessed today must be condemned and never repeated.”
While this correspondent can understand a desire to punish Senegal to show that walking off the pitch cannot be tolerated, it sets a dangerous precedent to overturn results of cup finals that have been played and completed. Many other followers of the game appear to think the same way and my timeline on X (formerly Twitter) was full of them passing comment.
South African football pundit Melissa Ready remarked: “All the very best to CAF in convincing anyone who fully covered, followed, or participated in the tournament – not of a Moroccan persuasion – that Morocco and not Senegal are champions of Africa.” She followed this up with: “Senegal are likely to argue that they did not abandon the game, the match was completed by the referee’s whistle. They can say Article 82 was misapplied because the game continued under the same circumstances and reached its natural end.
“The referee allowing Senegal back on the pitch and Morocco happily continuing the game will be used to state the match – and result – was valid. As the final was completed, they can argue the integrity of the game was upheld.
“They can also claim changing the winner of a completed final is an extreme overreach by the Appeal Board. And that the punishment for a delay – not a refusal to play as they finished the game – is excessive.”
Daniel Austin hinted at a bigger issue within the game when he said: “Can’t celebrate goals because they’ll find a way to rule them out. Can’t celebrate tournament wins because they might be overturned months later.
“Can’t believe things play out fairly because of financial cheating. Litigation rules. The actual football is now largely irrelevant.”
Accountancy matters aside, this is part of the problem now with football and why the fans – who have always been the lifeblood of the game – are not enjoying it. Like VAR, this decision prevents you from enjoying the moment and provides a nagging doubt that something you witnessed and lived with your own eyes might be retrospectively taken away.
It’s bad enough when that’s a goal for your team chalked off a couple of minutes later because a pedant sat in front of a screen hundreds of miles away, detached from the emotion within the stadium has deemed an offence – not necessarily even “a clear and obvious error” from the referee that the technology was brought in for – has spotted a supposed infringement that still might be deemed a grey area. However, saying at some point in the future that cup finals that were – eventually – played to their conclusion with a winner and a loser are now going to be overturned with the team that lost the game being awarded the trophy, that really is something else and no matter how this ends, Ndiaye and Gueye will always be champions in Evertonians’ eyes.