Former Super Eagles media officer Colin Udoh has strongly criticised the decision by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to strip Senegal of the Africa Cup of Nations title and award it to Morocco.

Udoh described the ruling as “unbelievable” and one of the most disgraceful decisions in the history of the African football governing body.

Udoh said he was left stunned after hearing about the outcome of the appeal that overturned the result of the tournament’s final.

"I had my jaw on the floor when I heard it, I was speechless. Absolutely unbelievable. This is the most disgraceful decision that CAF has taken in the history of that organisation," Colin Udoh said on ESPN FC.

He further argued that the CAF Appeals Committee misinterpreted the competition rules, insisting that the Senegalese team never technically left the stadium premises during the controversial moment in the match.

"This should never have been allowed to happen, and the fact that the CAF Appeals Committee have done that is disgraceful, is shameful, and it sets African football back one hundred years because there is no way this should be allowed to stand, whether by the rules of the competition or FIFA laws of the game,” he added.

Udoh also questioned CAF’s reliance on Article 82 of its regulations, which states that a team forfeits a match if it abandons the field.

"They claim that Article 82 states that if the team leaves the grounds, they forfeit the game, but Senegal never left the grounds. There is a difference between being on the pitch or the field of play and the grounds, and the laws of the game with FIFA are very clear.

"The pitch and the grounds are two separate things. Senegal never left the grounds, but more than that, the most important thing is that when they came back, the referee continued the game, and Law 5 says that the referee's decision on the field and the result of the game are final.”

According to Udoh, the decision by an appeal body to overturn the result of a completed match raises serious concerns about the governance of African football.

"So for an appeal body to overturn the result of the game is shocking, disgraceful and illegal, and I'll be surprised if Senegal don't take it to CAS, and if they go there, I expect them to win."

Senegal had initially secured a narrow 1–0 victory over Morocco in the final played in Rabat on January 19, courtesy of a stunning extra-time strike from Pape Gueye.

The match, however, was overshadowed by controversy after Senegalese players briefly left the pitch to protest a late penalty awarded to Morocco.

Captain Sadio Mané reportedly convinced his teammates to return and complete the match, with Brahim Díaz missing the resulting spot-kick.

Despite the match being played to completion, CAF’s Appeals Board ruled that Senegal had forfeited the final following the temporary walk-off, awarding the game 3–0 to Morocco.

Meanwhile, the Senegalese Football Federation has rejected the ruling and confirmed it will challenge the decision at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Adeyemi Adewale