Philadelphia Independent - New Morocco coach praises 'well-deserved' Cup of Nations decision

Senegal won the final on January 18 in Rabat 1-0 but CAF ruled on Tuesday to strip them of the title on account of the Senegalese players walking off the pitch in protest when the hosts were awarded a penalty late in second-half stoppage time.

After Senegal's players were coaxed back onto the pitch by captain Sadio Mane, Morocco missed the penalty and Pape Gueye went on to score the winner for the Lions of Teranga in extra-time.

"First of all, I would like to congratulate all Moroccans, the staff, the players and the federation on the good news we got two days ago, which is well-deserved," said Ouahbi during the presentation of his first squad list for Morocco's next two friendly matches against Ecuador and Paraguay.

This decision "pleases everyone", added the 49-year-old who replaced Walid Regragui earlier this month, partly because of the former manager's failure to win the Africa Cup of Nations.

"But it's important to focus on the present and the future. My goal is to make the team competitive for the World Cup."

The CAF announcement was welcomed by the Moroccan federation for its "respect for the rules" but the Senegalese Football Federation announced Thursday that it had instructed its lawyers to launch an appeal before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), calling it an "unjust decision".

At the end of January, the CAF disciplinary committee did not question the final result but imposed a series of disciplinary sanctions, including fines amounting to several hundred thousand euros, on the federations of both countries for unsportsmanlike conduct.

Morocco, under Regragui, reached the semi-finals of the 2022 World Cup and will line up in Group C at this year's edition alongside Brazil, Scotland and Haiti.

K.King--PI