This archive report was first published on 18 July 2019.
Published on July 18, 2019, the African football community is still reeling from the controversy surrounding the Champions League final between Esperance and Wydad Casablanca.
On July 18, 2019, African football chief Ahmad Ahmad announced that he would wait on a decision from the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) before deciding the outcome of the abandoned Champions League final.
The match was abandoned after Moroccan side Wydad walked off an hour into the return fixture in Tunis when a VAR malfunction meant a disallowed equaliser could not be reviewed.
Initially, Tunisia's Esperance were handed the title, but the Confederation of African Football (Caf) later backtracked after determining that 'playing and security conditions were not met'. Both clubs subsequently lodged appeals with CAS.
"The two clubs didn't want our African solution, one based on consensus, because they made mistakes," Ahmad said, following a Caf executive committee meeting in Cairo.
"We're in a period of reforms, our laws are not yet adjusted to solve these kind of things. That's why we need to be flexible," he added.
"We're waiting for the CAS decision in due course and then we will act based on it," Ahmad said.
The Lausanne-based tribunal will issue a ruling by July 31 on a match that has tarnished African football's reputation.
