Pep Guardiola has finally given his views on the AFCON verdict, where Senegal has been stripped of the Africa Cup of Nations title, and Morocco was awarded. Recently, CAF announced its decision to declare Senegal the 2025 AFCON champions despite winning it 1-0.
CAF ruled that Senegal forfeited the final by leaving the pitch in protest, after which, Morocco was given a 3-0 victory. Meanwhile, the Manchester City boss has broken his silence on the verdict, and here is what the Spanish manager has said.
Man City boss Pep Guardiola speaks on AFCON verdict
Guardiola said:
“It's a surprise!”
The Sky Blues head coach added:
“I don’t know the reason… but it's a decision made behind-the-scenes”.
The Premier League club boss continued:
“What happens everywhere is what we see, it's not happened, it always happens behind the scenes, and you don't see their faces”.
Senegal's players, led by coach Pape Thiaw, had walked off the pitch for about 15-17 minutes in protest during stoppage time over a controversial penalty awarded to Morocco. Although the match resumed, Morocco's Brahim Díaz missed his Panenka-style penalty.
Senegal scored the only goal in extra time via Pape Gueye to win 1-0. However, CAF's appeals board applied regulations (Articles 82 and 84) to declare the result a 3-0 forfeit win for Morocco, awarding them the championship to the side.
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