It was a night of jubilation in Morocco, but anger in Senegal after the decision to strip the Senegalese national side of their continental football title and hand it to their North African rivals.
Two months after the final whistle blew at a contentious and acrimonious final in Rabat, news came through late on Tuesday evening that tournament hosts Morocco were in fact the winners of the Africa Cup of Nations.
The Confederation of African Football (Caf) had ruled that Senegal had broken the rules by leaving the pitch in protest at a refereeing decision. The match later resumed and Senegal won 1-0 but Caf said that the walkout meant they had forfeited the game.
Moroccans took to the streets to celebrate and local media have shown videos of happy fans driving through Tangier waving the national flag, banging tambourines and honking their horns. Other pictures show triumphant supporters letting off flares.
Speaking to BBC Newsday Moroccan journalist Jalal Bounour said that it was a sleepless night as fans welcomed the news with great excitement and joy.
There was an overwhelming sense that justice had been done after what Moroccans saw as a violation of the rules. One man told the BBC in Rabat, I believe this was a sporting injustice, Morocco was certainly wronged and the facts were clear.
The news also dropped like a bombshell in the Senegalese capital, Dakar - but for the opposite reason. Young man Daouda Seck stated, I'm stunned. Football no longer exists. This is not football. No-one here understands or accepts this decision. His sentiments echoed the official response from the Senegalese government which said it would appeal against the ruling. Authorities called for an independent international investigation into suspected corruption within Caf's governing bodies.
Caf is set to become a laughing stock in the football world, and Africans will be ridiculed for everything that has been said and criticised regarding the organisation of this tournament, a Senegal fan remarked.
Meanwhile, Moroccan fans continued to express their happiness with the decision, celebrating the return of the cup that they believed was unjustly taken from them.
“The entire Moroccan people are out in every city and everywhere, happy with our cup. The cup has returned to us, the cup that was denied to us,” a woman declared on a local sports channel.
