Senegal says it will appeal after it was sensationally stripped of the Africa Cup of Nations title on Tuesday and the Confederation of African Football (CAF) instead declared Morocco champion, two months after the chaotic final match.

Several Senegalese players controversially walked off the pitch in Rabat during the final on Jan 18 in protest when the host was awarded a penalty late in second-half stoppage time.

After Senegal's players eventually returned, having been coaxed back onto the pitch by captain Sadio Mane, Morocco missed the penalty and Pape Gueye went on to score the goal in extra time that gave his team a 1-0 victory.

CAF said that having studied Morocco's appeal, "the Senegal national team is declared to have forfeited the match" and the result was "officially recorded as 3-0" in favor of Morocco.

The CAF Appeals Committee justified its decision by applying Articles 82 and 84 of the AFCON Regulations, which state that if a team "refuses to play or leaves the ground before the regular end of the match without the authorization of the referee, it shall be considered (loser) and shall be eliminated for good from the current competition".

The articles add that the team contravening the regulations "will lose its match by 3-0".

The Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) said in a statement its appeal "was never intended to contest the sporting performance of the teams participating in this competition, but solely to request the application of the competition regulations".

"The Federation reaffirms its commitment to respecting the rules, to the clarity of the competitive framework, and to the stability of African competitions," the statement added.

Senegal's soccer authorities said they will appeal "as soon as possible" to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

"The Senegalese Football Federation condemns this unjust, unprecedented and unacceptable decision, which brings African football into disrepute," it said in a statement.

Chaotic scenes

Minutes before the end of the match, some Senegalese supporters attempted a pitch invasion, while Senegal's players halted the game for nearly 20 minutes to protest the late penalty awarded to Morocco.

The controversial spot-kick was awarded by Congolese referee Jean-Jacques Ndala right at the end of the allotted eight added minutes in normal time following a VAR check for a challenge on Brahim Diaz by El Hadji Malick Diouf.

The game was goalless at the time and Diaz could have won the trophy for Morocco with the spotkick in the 24th minute of added time at the end of normal time.

But Senegal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy easily saved the weak attempted "Panenka" chip by the Real Madrid winger, who was clearly distracted by the long delay that followed the awarding of the penalty.

The game at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium then went to extra time, during which Gueye's brilliant 94th-minute strike won it for Senegal.

Several of the team's players posted on social media after the announcement that they had been stripped of the title.

Defender Moussa Niakhate, who plays for French club Lyon, posted a picture of himself lifting the Africa Cup of Nations trophy with a message that said "they're mad", in an apparent reference to CAF.

In the immediate aftermath of the final, FIFA president Gianni Infantino had condemned "some Senegal players" for the "unacceptable scenes".

"It is unacceptable to leave the field of play in this manner, and equally, violence cannot be tolerated in our sport, it is simply not right," Infantino, who attended the match, said.

In late January, CAF imposed a series of disciplinary sanctions, including fines amounting to several hundred thousand euros, on the federations of both countries for unsportsmanlike conduct and violations of fair play principles.

The appeal trial of 18 Senegalese supporters, imprisoned since the final and sentenced to prison terms ranging from three months to one year for "hooliganism," which was scheduled to take place on Monday, has been postponed until March 30.

CAF also announced the setting aside of a $100,000 fine on Morocco striker Ismael Saibari and a reduction of his suspension to one match for his role in tussling with Senegal players near the end of the game.

CAF also said the fine imposed on the Moroccan federation for the incident in which ball boys attempted to steal the towel of the Senegal goalkeeper next to his goal was reduced to $50,000.

Those scenes went viral and added to the folly of the occasion.

But the $100,000 fine imposed on Morocco for their players and officials attempting to interfere in the VAR process still stands.