This archive report was first published on 16 September 2019.
On September 15, the Caf Appeal Board ruled that Tunisia's Esperance won the title in May, following a meeting to review Wydad Casablanca's appeal.
Wydad Casablanca had refused to continue playing in the second leg of the May Champions League final after a row over the Video Assisted Referee (VAR) system.
The second leg ended in controversy when VAR was unavailable to judge a disallowed equaliser, and the referee awarded the victory to Esperance.
Wydad Casablanca had lodged complaints with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) following an initial ruling from Caf that the second leg should be replayed.
However, the court's first ruling in August stated that Caf's executive committee did not have jurisdiction to order that the final be replayed.
Following that decision, the disciplinary committee at Caf ruled Esperance to be the winners of the African Champions League.
Wydad Casablanca then lodged a further case with Caf, which was rejected on September 15.
According to the Caf Appeal Board decision, the absence of VAR had no legal effects, and the referee's decision was not up for review.
The match officials' reports stated that Wydad Casablanca's players refused to resume the match, leading to a 90-minute stoppage.
As a result, the Appeal Board confirmed that the match was forfeited by Wydad Casablanca due to their players' refusal to resume play.
