Accra: The Deputy Director of the National Sports Authority (NSA), Gideon Hammond, has expressed support for the Confederation of African Football's (CAF) controversial decision to revoke Senegal's 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) title.
According to Ghana Web, the CAF Appeal Board's ruling was based on a correct application of the regulations, specifically pointing out that Senegal's players only temporarily walked off the field rather than completely abandoning the match, which justified the decision to nullify their victory. Hammond emphasized that criticisms of CAF's decision are driven more by emotion than by a rational assessment of the situation.
Hammond elaborated on the ruling by stating, 'Legally, if you want to look at it, CAF may be right. But if you are attaching emotions to it, then the outcome of whatever ruling is unsatisfactory. Definitely, you'll get a backlash for that decision. But I think that at any point in time, what does the spirit and the letter of the law say?"
The decision follows the CAF Appeal Board's determination that Senegal violated Article 84 of CAF regulations, which prohibits staging a walk-off. Consequently, Senegal was deemed to have forfeited the match, leading to the nullification of the final result.
Applying the regulation, Morocco was declared the champion with a 3-0 scoreline as a consequence of Senegal's temporary walk-off, reinforcing the strict adherence to the rules as outlined by the CAF.