Africa Cup of Nations: Morocco to take legal action after controversial walk-off by Senegal had 'significant' impact on final

Moroccan football bosses have said they will take legal action to get the governing bodies of world and African football to rule on the controversial end of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) final.

Senegalese fans tried to storm the pitch and Senegal players walked off in protest after Morocco, the hosts, were awarded a penalty in the 98th minute in Rabat.

After a lengthy delay, the players and coach returned to the pitch where the penalty was saved by Senegal's goalkeeper, and Senegal went on to win the game 1-0 in extra time.

In a statement on Monday, the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) said it will "pursue legal action with the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) to rule on the withdrawal of the Senegalese national team from the field during the final against the Moroccan national team, as well as on the events surrounding this decision, following the referee's award of a penalty deemed correct by all experts".

The statement said the walk-off "had a significant impact on the normal course of the match and on the players' performance".

The FRMF thanked the Moroccan public for their loyalty and support and "everyone who contributed to the success of this continental competition".

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) said earlier it was "reviewing all footage" and would refer the matter to "competent bodies" for "appropriate action" to be taken against those found guilty.

How controversy unfolded in final

FIFA boss Gianni Infantino hit out at the "unacceptable scenes on the field and in the stands" as he criticised the behaviour of some "supporters" as well as Senegal players and staff.

He said: "It is unacceptable to leave the field of play in this manner, and equally, violence cannot be tolerated in our sport, it is simply not right. We must always respect the decisions taken by the match officials on and off the field of play."

The "ugly scenes... must be condemned and never repeated".

Former Liverpool forward Sadio Mane coaxed his team-mates back on and told reporters it would have been "a shame and sad " if Senegal had not finished the match.

He said: "I think it would be crazy to not play this game because what, the referee gave a penalty and we go out of the game?

With the match goalless, dramatic scenes unfolded deep into stoppage time in the second half when Senegal players, led by their coach Pape Thiaw, stormed off the pitch in protest at their opponents being awarded a penalty deep into stoppage time.

They had also been angered by a disallowed goal for Senegal minutes earlier at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium.

Thiaw apologised after the game, telling beIN Sports: "After reflecting on it, I made them come back [on the pitch] - you can react in the heat of the moment.

"We accept the errors of the referee. We shouldn't have done it but it's done and now we present our apologies to football."

Morocco head coach Walid Regragui attacked Thiaw for leading Senegal's walk-off protest, saying it was a "shameful" image for Africa.

He added: "A coach who asks his players to leave the field. What Pape did does not honour Africa. Thiaw wasn't classy."

Senegal ultimately secured their second AFCON title thanks to an extra-time winner from Pape Gueye.

Substitute Ismaila Sarr thought he had won it for Senegal until Congolese referee Jean-Jacques Ndala ruled out his header for a foul by Abdoulaye Seck on Achraf Hakimi.

And the drama continued into the last minute of the scheduled eight minutes of added time when Morocco were awarded a penalty.

It came after the referee checked replays when Brahim Diaz was pulled down by Senegal defender El Hadji Malick Diouf.

The referee pointed to the spot, prompting a furious Thiaw to send most of his players to the dressing room.

The decision to award the penalty had also led to fights between some of the Moroccan substitutes and their opposing players.

Anger spilled over among the Senegalese fans, with some trying to storm the pitch from behind one of the goals.

The Senegalese players walked off, returning to the field 14 minutes later.

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Diaz's effort from the spot was saved by Senegal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy after the ball was lobbed straight into his arms with the last kick of normal time.

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Gueye then scored the winning goal in the fourth minute of extra time when he swept the ball into the top right corner with his left foot.

"We really wanted to win here," he said. "It was a very difficult match but we gave everything."