Earlier this week, the Confederation of African Football announced sanctions to be imposed on Morocco after the country chose to withdraw its hosting rights fro the 2015 African Cup of Nations thus reneging on a hosting agreement signed between the two parties in April 2014. However, in response, Morocco have announced a rejection of the sanctions announced imposed on them by the Confederation of African Football (Caf) saying that it believes that there is “no regulatory basis” for the sanctions.

Morocco was banned from the next two Nations Cups- in 2017 and 2019, and also slapped with a $1 million (£650,000) fine for withdrawing its rights just as CAF requested 8m euros (£5.9m) to compensate for damages incurred by the body as well as its partners

The Royal Federation of Moroccan Football has however disclosed that it “rejects all of these sports and financial sanctions”. A statement on the body’s official website also went to say that the Executive Committee of Royal Federation of Moroccan Football is said to be “greatly surprised by the decisions taken by CAF.” It also added that the sanctions “do not correspond in any way to the conclusions of the first meeting in Cairo with the President of CAF.”

The body also announced via the statement that it will focus on taking “all necessary measures to uphold the rights and interests of Moroccan football and provisions.”

Equatorial Guinea replaced Morocco as hosts of the 2015 AFrican Cup of Nation with Ivory Coast emerging as the champions for only the second time in their history thus bagging $1.5 million in prize money.