AFCON: CAF’s sanctions on Moroccan football team joins hallmark disciplinary measures list

The latest round of sanctions imposed by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) on the Moroccan national team spearhead Walid Regragui and the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) adds to a series of penalties that the continental football authority has previously imposed on Morocco on several occasions.

CAF’s disciplinary measures against Morocco range from sanctions placed on the national team and local clubs to coaches, players, and even FRMF itself.

·         2024:

Just a few hours before the Morocco-Zambia AFCON match, the Disciplinary Committee of CAF decided to suspend national coach Walid Regragui for 4 matches, with two matches being immediately effective and two matches being suspended.

The decision came as a response to the exchange between Regragui and Mbema at the end of the AFCON game between Morocco and Congo DR.

FRMF, which also was fined following this event, considered the verdict against the Moroccan national coach as unjust and decided to appeal CAF’s sanctions, emphasizing that Regragui “did not engage in any behavior contrary to sportsmanship.

·         2023:

The CAF disciplinary committee fined Wydad Casablanca $20,000 for their fans igniting flares during the second leg of the quarter-final match against Simba SC in the African Champions League.

CAF also imposed a fine of $100,000 on Raja Casablanca in the same year following the riot events that occurred on the sidelines of their match against Egyptian club Al Ahly in the quarter-finals of the African Champions League.

During the same event, a female fan of the Raja Casablanca club, named Nora, lost her life in the vicinity of the Mohammed V stadium.

CAF cited poor organization as a reason for the sanctions imposed on Raja Casablanca, leading to a two-match ban on hosting continental matches at their home stadium.

·         2022:

Following an altercation between Egypt assistant coach Rogerio Paulo Dos Santos Cesar De Sa and President of FRMF Fouzi Lekjaa during the CAN 2021 quarter-finals, which was held instead in 2022 in Cameroon due to COVID-19, the CAF has suspended several players and imposed fines on both teams.

As to Morocco, CAF suspended football players Soufian Chakla and Soufiane Boufal for “violent behavior.” The confederation also imposed a fine of $10,000 on the Moroccan Federation.

·         2022:

Mustapha Hadji, the former assistant to Badou Zaki, Hervé Renard, and Vahid Halilhodzic, was suspended for a period of 5 years from any football-related activities. This ban comes as the jury of the pan-African body believed that the former Moroccan international falsified his CAF A coaching license.

Youssef Rossi, a former Atlas Lion who transitioned into coaching, was also handed a 5-year ban by the CAF for allegedly presenting fake coaching credentials obtained in Burkina Faso. This sanction has restricted Rossi from participating in any coaching activities following complaints and evidence of license falsification.

·         2019:

The CAF imposed fines worth $62,500 and $15,000 respectively on Moroccan football clubs RS Berkane (RSB) and Wydad of Casablanca (WAC) in 2019.

RS Berkane was fined $22,500 for fans using smoke, lasers, firecrackers, and missiles in the CAF Cup final. Additionally, the club was fined $30,000 for aggressive gestures toward referees and unsportsmanlike behavior by officials, players, and the technical team.

Omar Nemsaoui, an RSB player, was suspended for four matches and fined $10,000 for engaging in violent behavior and confronting match officials during the medal ceremony.

WAC and Esperance Sportive of Tunisia (EST) were fined $15,000 each for excessive use of smoke, pyrotechnics, flares, and throwing objects during the first leg of the Champions League final.

·         2015:

Morocco received sanctions from the CAF for declining to host the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations owing to worries over the Ebola outbreak. The CAF barred Morocco from hosting the tournament in 2017 and 2019 and fined it one million dollars.

The CAF demanded compensation for the expenses incurred in moving the event to Equatorial Guinea. Morocco was also ordered to pay 8.05 million euros in compensation to the African Union and participating parties for the losses incurred by its refusal to host the 2015 edition.

However, the International Court of Arbitration for Sport overturned the CAF sanctions, allowing Morocco to compete in the 2017 and 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers. The court also lowered the Moroccan Football Association’s sentence to $50,000.

·         Public reactions to Regragui’s suspension:

Following the CAF’s sanctions on the coach of the Atlas Lions and FRMR, an outpouring of support for Walid from Moroccans and strong condemnation of the confederation’s decision has flooded in.

The outrage displayed by Moroccan fans stems from the timing of the CAF’s verdict, which was released just a few hours before the final group stage match of the AFCON held in Cote d’Ivoire, with many considering the decision to be “unfair and catastrophic”.

قرار غير عادل ابدا الركراكي ما دار حتى تصرف يستحق عليه الايقاف

يجب استئناف القرار اقل شي يغيب على مباراة اليوم فقط لانه توقيت القرار كارثي الماتش باقي ليه 2 سوايع عاد نازل

دبا يجي شي كلب يقول ليك المغرب متحكم في الكاف غادي نتفل عليه ?#المغرب_زامبيا #كلنا_الركراكي https://t.co/xE86M7JbRz

— Aminović ?? (@mad_040617) January 24, 2024

Regragui’s team members were the first to show him support in this time of crisis.

In a heartwarming gesture, Ziyach dedicated his goal after scoring for Morocco against Zambia to coach Regragui, who was watching the Atlas Lions from the stands instead of on the pitch due to his suspension.

Ziyach formed a heart sign with his hands, while other players, alongside assistant coach Rachid Benmahmoud, gathered in the direction of the coach in the stands to symbolize their celebration of victory.

Benmahmoud, who replaced Regragui during the Morocco-Zambia match, defended his long-life colleague and said that the Atlas Lion coach did not do anything that deserved sanctioning.

In a press conference that followed the Lions’ victory over Zambia, Benmahmoud confirmed that the Panthers player provoked Regragui, stressing that it’s difficult for Walid to say anything inappropriate.

Many Moroccans voiced their unwavering support for their beloved Atlas Lions coach and condemned the CAF’s heavy sanctions by taking to social media platforms like X (formerly known as Twitter) and rallying behind the #WeStandWithRegragui hashtag or other similar phrases in different languages.

A user on X (previously known as Twitter) encouraged their followers to send emails to the CAF in solidarity with the Atlas Lions coach and as a way of expressing their displeasure with the sanctions.

He said, “I sent a message to the CAF as a protest and requested the true justifications behind the unjust decision against Walid Regragui. Perhaps my message won’t make a difference, but if thousands and millions of messages of this kind flood in, they will surely have an impact on the CAF members!”

أرسلت رسالة للكاف ( [email protected] ) على شكل احتجاج وطلب المبررات الحقيقة وراء القرار المجحف ضد #وليد_الركراكي … ربما لن تنفع رسالتي في شيء، لكن إن توافدت آلاف وملايين الرسائل من هذا النوع فحتما سيكون لها وقع على أعضاء الكاف! لذا رجاءا لا تترددوا في مراسلة الكاف… pic.twitter.com/XYgQGWbbVb

— ✰۞عبد الإله المغربي۞✰ (@RoyalisteMaroc1) January 24, 2024

Others went as far as to consider what happened with Regrargui as part of a conspiracy against him and the national Moroccan team.

For their part, the FRMR decided to appeal the “unjust” suspension against head coach Regragui. The Federation emphasized that the Atlas Lions coach “did not engage in any action that goes against the spirit of sportsmanship.”