DR ‹ › The decision handed down by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Disciplinary Board following the incidents that marred the AFCON final between Morocco and Senegal has failed to convince even the body's former chairperson. Speaking to South African broadcaster SABC News on Thursday, Raymond Hack said the CAF Disciplinary Committee had «failed dismally» in the sanctions announced on Wednesday night against both teams. Hack was particularly critical of the punishment imposed on Senegal head coach Pape Thiaw. «If you just look back, this whole incident was caused by Pape Thiaw from Senegal. He went off the field, he took his players off the field», Hack said, expressing disbelief at the sanction imposed. He compared Thiaw's actions to previous cases that resulted in far harsher penalties. «In 2014, Luis Suárez, who was a player for Uruguay, bit another player and FIFA suspended him for four to five months», he noted. «Diego Maradona insulted journalists at the 2010 World Cup and was suspended for three months», he added. «In my opinion, this coach should have been suspended for six months», Hack said. He also questioned the scale of the financial penalty. «It may sound like a big fine in rands or dollars, but when you break it down, the winner received 10 million dollars», he argued. «The damage to CAF's reputation caused by this behaviour, whether by Senegalese players or Moroccan players, is something you simply cannot put a price on», Hack continued. Criticizing CAF more broadly, he concluded: «These people are supposed to be the guardians of the sport. They are supposed to show young children what to do and what not to do». Hack's remarks come after CAF chose to «split the difference» by imposing almost equal sanctions on the Senegalese and Moroccan federations, as well as several players and officials. Meanwhile, the most controversial incident of the final, the Senegalese team's temporary walk-off, was ultimately disregarded, with CAF rejecting the protest filed by the FRMF against the Fédération Sénégalaise de Football over alleged violations of Articles 82 and 84 of the AFCON Regulations, provisions that allow for a 3–0 forfeit and elimination.
