The dispute between Esperance de Tunis and the Confederation of African Football (CAF) over the decision to replay the second leg of the African Cup of Nations final at a neutral venue against Wydad Casablanca shows no signs of abating.
The Tunisian club are to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport over the order by the CAF to annul the result of the second leg played on May 31 that had originally left Esperance crowned champions.
A club statement said: “The club’s management will hold an urgent meeting to appeal against CAF’s decision with the relevant international bodies and will take all legal measures to preserve its rights.”
A failure in the video assistant referee (VAR) system was the catalyst for the controversy in the second leg of the tie which had been 1-1 after the first leg.
Esperance had been 1-0 up on the night in Rades when Wydad’s Walid El Karti's header in the 63rd minute was ruled out for offside.
After appealing the decision, the players were informed that the VAR was not operational and chaos ensued. Wydad refused to play on and even CAF president Ahmed Ahmed attended at pitch side to try and negotiate some kind of resolution to the dispute as jeers and plastic bottles were thrown at the pitch.
The game was eventually awarded to Esperance but that decision has now been overturned, though the Tunisian club are at present refusing to return the trophy or their medals.
Though the absence of VAR appears to have been the initial cause of the dispute that saw play halted before the title was awarded to Esperance, it was poor "playing and security conditions" that CAF cited on as cause for their decision to replay the final.
The furore has engulfed public debate within Tunisia. Prime Minister Youssef Chahed, who was at the match, criticised the move as a "farce".
Tunisian sports writer Souhail Khmira said it was the fact most fans would be unable to see the re-staged match that was as upsetting as the original decision.
“The fans are furious," he said. "As far as everyone was concerned, Esperance had won the title.
"Even the television schedule had been changed. Now they want to re-stage the match in a neutral country. That’s going to put it beyond the reach of most fans. Even if it’s in a neighbouring country, most supporters won’t be able to afford to travel."
Khmira believes the row will do long-term damage to African football's credibility, especially with CAF president Ahmed having been arrested in Paris on Thursday, and then later released, as part of a corruption investigation in an incident separate to the replay row.
“It’s a blow, there’s no getting round it. You know that meme, ‘You had one job’? Well, this was theirs and they blew it,” Khmira added. “We have some of the most beautiful football in the world.
"Everyone involved in the game has been trying to raise its reputation, not just fans, but teams, officials, everyone, and now there’s this. It’s going to be very hard to get past it or for people to forget it.”
