William Troost-Ekong, the former Nigeria captain and Player of the Tournament at AFCON 2023, shares his views on the ruling and its implications for African football.
“When I first heard the news that the result of this year’s AFCON final between Senegal and Morocco had been overturned, I thought it was a joke,” he told The Athletic.
“When I realised it was actually real, after reading the official statement from the Confederation of African Football (CAF), it just made me feel quite sad. I watched the final and saw the moment when Senegal walked off the pitch.
“It was unsportsmanlike behaviour but the referee, Jean-Jacques Ndala, had the power to stop the game and award Morocco a 3-0 victory at the time. The moment both sides agreed to carry on playing, the match must surely be decided by what happens on the pitch.
“Every African player wants to win this tournament but would I celebrate now if I was in Morocco’s shoes? Absolutely not,” he stated.
“I would feel ashamed to win like this. It wouldn’t feel right. You have to earn it on the pitch. I captained Nigeria in the AFCON final two years ago, which we lost 2-1,” he recalled.
“I would never go back and change the outcome of a final I was in and lost. I wouldn’t want to change it. I would be so upset to play in a tournament and for the result to be changed afterwards,” he said.
“Senegal will always claim they are the winners, and I would do the exact same thing, but other people will question that now. I can’t imagine how those players are feeling.”
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