Sunderland duo Habib Diarra and Chemsdine Talbi have both been affected by a bizarre ruling on the outcome of the African Cup of Nations this week
The Black Cats pair were both involved as Diarra’s Senegal beat Talbi’s Morocco in the final of the continental competition under controversial circumstances. With the contest goalless heading into stoppage time, referee Jean Jacques Ndala awarded Morocco a penalty following a VAR review of a challenge on Brahim Diaz.
The decision angered Senegal players and staff to such an extent that head coach Pape Thiaw led his side off the pitch in protest. After a delay of around 17 minutes, the Lions of Teranga eventually returned to the field. Diaz then saw his penalty saved by goalkeeper Edouard Mendy before the referee signalled full-time. Senegal later scored in extra time through Villarreal midfielder Pape Gueye, seemingly securing the title for Diarra and his teammates.
Earlier this week, however, the Confederation of African Football appeals board ruled that Senegal’s actions breached tournament regulations, meaning the match must be recorded as a forfeit. In a statement, CAF confirmed Senegal are “declared to have forfeited the final match” and that the official result will be recorded as a 3-0 victory for Morocco. As a consequence, Diarra has technically been stripped of his title, although Senegalese authorities have vowed to appeal the decision.
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What did Sunderland head coach Regis Le Bris say about AFCON drama?
And speaking in a press conference on Friday afternoon, Le Bris admitted that the whole affair has been a bizarre one for both Diarra and Talbi. He said: “It's a bit weird. They didn't overreact, to be fair.
“The game was played on the pitch. Now you have another game somewhere, but not on the pitch. For the players, they are still thinking that there is a winner on the pitch. If something is different after, it doesn't count.”
On the topic of international football writ large, Le Bris also admitted that the upcoming break - which will afford Sunderland three weeks between Sunday’s clash with Newcastle United and their next Premier League fixture against Tottenham Hotspur - could provide a timely opportunity for his side to gather themselves ahead of the remainder of the season.
He said: “Probably those three weeks will be useful for that. It's clear we might have between four to eight players injured. The core of the squad is not massive. We have many inexperienced players. When those players are missing, it's always more difficult. It could be the case after the international break, but sometimes it is. They have other games and they might be injured as well, so we never know.”
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