Cybereagles

Enugu II wrote:In my opinion, Wydad will be banned for refusing to continue the game. That should be an easy decision. You cannot refuse to continue with a game, VAR or not. Just saw a letter from the providers of the VAR equipment (Hawk-eye) shared in a credible WhatsApp Forum apologizing for not delivering a complete equipment set for the VAR on time for the final. In essence, a serious breach of contract I suppose of which costs are attached. CAF has suffered image and reputation damage following the non-performance of this company and costs should be assessed. My tuppence.

On the process of using VAR? I thought that VAR is simply an assistant to the referee and, thus, the apt naming "VAR". Wydad have no authority pertaining to the use of the VAR. That is exclusively the domain of the refereeing crew (including operators of the VAR).

Its a Goal wrote:Were both teams informed, prior to the match, that VAR was malfunctioning therefore it's use will be limited? CAF messed up bigly on this one. I don't Wydad for refusing to continue participating in the match since they felt injustice had been melted out to them. Both teams agreed to play the game under the terms of VAR therefore if any part of the agreement is breached then they have a right to rescind the contract. CAF should have seek to redress the situation by cancelling the match and reschedule on a day when they can provide all the equipment necessary to conduct such a match.

Would the same outcome had been dealt out had Esparence been the one contesting the goal? I seriously doubt it.

Aswani wrote:

bret- hart wrote:Im sorry but North African players and fans behave like imbeciles during African football tournaments. So your team had a goal disallowed?? Move the F on and play the game. Ish happens all the time. The clock was at 59minutes. There was still time to equalize but what do they do? they disrupt the game, act like spoiled children and abandon the match. This petulance is what we have been subjected to for decades and CAF like bad parents allow this to continue. They never act like this at the WC cos they know FIFA will can them. WAC needs to be banned from future competitions and Esparance needs to be fined hefty for fan misconduct.


PS: when is CAF going to do something about those laser pointers??? Why are these idiots allowed to bring that object to the staduims??

I find it hard to disagree with this. North African clubsides are dab hands at the dark hands of ensuring they progress in competitions.

They start their underhand behaviour right form the airport, I hae no sympathy.

CAF PRESIDENT, AHMAD SYMPATHETIC WITH WYDAD OVER CHAMPIONS LEAGUE CONTROVERSY
7 HOURS AGO
https://www.sportsvillagesquare.com/201 ... ntroversy/


Egyptian publication, Kingfut has reported that CAF President, Ahmad has admitted that the controversial events that took place in the second leg of CAF Champions League final have been unfair to Wydad Athletic Club of Morocco.

CAF Emergency Committee will meet on Tuesday to deliberate on the issue. The return leg of the final match was stalemated on Friday as Wydad insisted that the referee of the match must consult the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) to verify a goal that was denied the side. Gambian referee, Bakari Gassama could not oblige, as there was none.

Reports had it that video replays showed that the goal was valid. Former CAF General Secretary Amr Fahmy was reported to have claimed that the Tunisians disabled the VAR as they had done in last year’s final match but luckily, there was no incident to warrant it.

Last Friday, following the goal scored by Walid El Karti for Wydad and out for offside., the Moroccans held on to their right to resume the game only when VAR is in action.

The CAF President went onto the pitch to convince the Moroccan to resume the match and after the game had been halted for almost an hour, Esperance were announced winners.

“Yes. Everything has been unfair towards Wydad. We have had an agreement with a company to supply VAR; however, they informed us they wouldn’t be apply to provide it for technical reasons just before the game,” Ahmad spoke to Moroccan magazine HeSPORT.

“I have no answers to give you. I am even so frightened after what happened,” he concluded.

Enugu II wrote:The statement made here by Ahmad will haunt him, I predict.

CAF PRESIDENT, AHMAD SYMPATHETIC WITH WYDAD OVER CHAMPIONS LEAGUE CONTROVERSY
7 HOURS AGO
https://www.sportsvillagesquare.com/201 ... ntroversy/


Egyptian publication, Kingfut has reported that CAF President, Ahmad has admitted that the controversial events that took place in the second leg of CAF Champions League final have been unfair to Wydad Athletic Club of Morocco.

CAF Emergency Committee will meet on Tuesday to deliberate on the issue. The return leg of the final match was stalemated on Friday as Wydad insisted that the referee of the match must consult the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) to verify a goal that was denied the side. Gambian referee, Bakari Gassama could not oblige, as there was none.

Reports had it that video replays showed that the goal was valid. Former CAF General Secretary Amr Fahmy was reported to have claimed that the Tunisians disabled the VAR as they had done in last year’s final match but luckily, there was no incident to warrant it.

Last Friday, following the goal scored by Walid El Karti for Wydad and out for offside., the Moroccans held on to their right to resume the game only when VAR is in action.

The CAF President went onto the pitch to convince the Moroccan to resume the match and after the game had been halted for almost an hour, Esperance were announced winners.

“Yes. Everything has been unfair towards Wydad. We have had an agreement with a company to supply VAR; however, they informed us they wouldn’t be apply to provide it for technical reasons just before the game,” Ahmad spoke to Moroccan magazine HeSPORT.

“I have no answers to give you. I am even so frightened after what happened,” he concluded.

kajifu wrote:Confederation of African Football: President Ahmad detained in France

CAF orders replay of abandoned African Champions League final
AFP AFP•June 5, 2019
https://news.yahoo.com/caf-orders-repla ... --sow.html




Paris (AFP) - African football's governing body has ordered the abandoned second leg of the CAF Champions League final between Esperance and Wydad Casablanca to be replayed at a neutral venue after this month's Cup of Nations.

The ruling thrusts African football into chaos just over two weeks before the start of an expanded 24-team Cup of Nations in Egypt, a tournament plagued by a troubled build-up.

Tunisian club Esperance were initially handed the title after Moroccan side Wydad Casablanca walked off an hour into last week's return match in Tunis because VAR was unavailable to judge a disallowed equaliser.

Holders Esperance were leading 1-0 in the second leg and 2-1 overall when play was halted, and after a 90-minute delay the referee awarded the match to the home side.

"The playing and security conditions were not met during the second leg of the CAF Champions League final, preventing the match from reaching its conclusion," CAF presidential advisor Hedi Hamel said Wednesday following a lengthy executive committee meeting in Paris.

"As a result, the match will have to be replayed at a ground outside of Tunisia... (and) Esperance will have to the give trophy back."

"The match will be played after the CAN (Africa Cup of Nations) at a date to be determined," he added, with the tournament due to run from June 21 to July 19.

Esperance are expected to challenge the decision. A club source said officials would explore all viable options, starting by taking the matter to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

"We're not going to just fold our arms. It's an absurd decision and a dangerous precedent that opens the door to other protests during the CAN," the source said.

- Credibility at stake -

FIFA president Gianni Infantino, re-elected head of world football's governing body Wednesday, said the incident was "unfortunate" for "Africa's credibility".

The build-up to the Cup of Nations has also been blighted by uncertainty after Cameroon was stripped of the hosting rights in November having fallen too far behind in its preparations.

That left Egypt, appointed as replacement hosts in January, in a race against time after the country was given just six months to ready itself for the event.

Tunisian media reported that officials were aware before last Friday's second leg that the VAR system was not working, but the players seemingly did not know.

Wydad believed they had levelled on 59 minutes when Walid el Karti headed a cross into the net. TV replays confirmed he was onside, but might have fouled an opponent with his shoulder.

The Moroccan team insisted that the Gambian referee check with VAR, apparently unaware that the often controversial system was unavailable.

Wydad substitutes and coach Faouzi Benzarti joined in the protests, while plastic bottles containing liquid were also flung toward the visiting players and staff as tempers flared.

At one stage, CAF president Ahmad Ahmad and the bosses of Esperance and Wydad spoke on the side of the pitch without succeeding in getting the match restarted.

VAR had played a major role in the first leg of the final in Morocco on May 24, with referrals ruling out a goal by Wydad and later appeals for a penalty by the Moroccans in a 1-1 draw.

The Egyptian referee of that match was subsequently banned for six months with CAF saying his performance was "poor".

pajimoh wrote:When some say Africans cannot organize a pi$$ up in a brewery, we get defensive.
First they award the match to a team
Then issue a winners medal, then later on decide to replay the match and recall the medals and trophy. What if Wayad wins the next game so the trophy and medals change hands again until another legal challenge?.... kai

pajimoh wrote:When some say Africans cannot organize a pi$$ up in a brewery, we get defensive.
First they award the match to a team
Then issue a winners medal, then later on decide to replay the match and recall the medals and trophy. What if Wayad wins the next game so the trophy and medals change hands again until another legal challenge?.... kai

Orion wrote:We discussed this in the match thread. It was obvious that CAF couldn't defend this. The contract with the teams was that VAR would be used and they never informed the teams when it turned out VAR was not available, certainly not Wydad. How they expected to sneak through the game without informing the teams that VAR was not available is beyond me. CAF needs to pay both teams compensation as well as having the match replayed.

pajimoh wrote:When some say Africans cannot organize a pi$$ up in a brewery, we get defensive.
First they award the match to a team
Then issue a winners medal, then later on decide to replay the match and recall the medals and trophy. What if Wayad wins the next game so the trophy and medals change hands again until another legal challenge?.... kai

CAS revokes CAF decision to replay African Champions League final

But CAS on Wednesday ruled that the executive committee of CAF were not "competent" to make a decision that the game be replayed.

CAS said it was now up to competent bodies within the federation, without giving further details, to decide if the game needs replaying or not.

Requests by Wydad to be named champions and granted the winners' paycheck were rejected, with CAS adding that Esperance's appeal would be investigated at a later date.