Africa Cup of Nations: “The longest VAR check in history” – how African football needs to move forward

While working through the tournament, I remember feeling like there was an extra advantage in the build-up to the final in Rabat, compared to previous editions.

What emerged were claims – on social media – that host country Morocco was being influenced by the green when it came to refereeing decisions. It has become a big part of managers’ pre-match press conferences.

Conspiracy theories appear to be linked to a close relationship between the Moroccan Football Federation and the Confederation of African Football (CAF).

Morocco has become a major force in African football, regularly hosting tournaments such as the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, and helping CAF by hosting many qualifying matches for countries that cannot play on home soil.

There was chaos when Senegal arrived in Rabat for the final, and pictures of the players walking through huge crowds – with minimal security measures – went viral. Complaints continued from the Senegalese Football Federation that the original hotel was not good enough, and that they did not have enough tickets for their fans.

It was almost inevitable that a controversial moment during the match would lead to an incident, but no one would have expected a group of players to walk off the field as Senegal did in that chaotic end to normal time.

Now, there is a dispute between the two best teams on the continent. Even before Tuesday’s decision, the Senegalese Prime Minister had complained about the prison sentences handed down to 18 people from the country after they were convicted of hooliganism during the final match. Many Senegal players spoke out in support of these fans.

The two teams will meet again soon – perhaps even in the next Africa Cup of Nations final – and you wonder, with relations at an all-time low, what kind of occasion it will be.

Referee Jean-Jacques Ndala blew the final whistle for the match that was held in Rabat nearly two months ago, but the repercussions of events during the match will affect African football for a long time to come.