CAF Strips Senegal of 2025 AFCON Title, Crowns Morocco Champions

CAF Strips Senegal of 2025 AFCON Title, Crowns Morocco Champions

The Confédération Africaine de Football (CAF) has officially awarded the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations title to Morocco after ruling that Senegal forfeited the final.

The decision, delivered by CAF’s Appeal Board, overturned an earlier verdict and upheld a protest filed by the Fédération Royale Marocaine de Football, with the final result revised to a 3–0 win in favour of Morocco.

The ruling brings closure to a controversy that has trailed the final since it was played on January 18, 2026, at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat.

The match, which originally ended 1–0 in favour of Senegal after extra time, was marred by chaotic scenes following a controversial refereeing decision late in regulation time.

A penalty awarded to Morocco after a VAR review triggered protests from Senegal’s players, who briefly walked off the pitch in disagreement.

The game was delayed for several minutes before play resumed. Morocco missed the resulting penalty, and Senegal went on to score in extra time to claim what appeared to be victory on the night.

However, Morocco lodged an appeal, arguing that the walk-off and surrounding incidents disrupted the match and violated competition rules.

In its latest ruling, CAF held that the conduct of the Fédération Sénégalaise de Football and its team breached Articles 82 and 84 of the tournament regulations, leading to an automatic forfeiture.

CAF stated that Senegal’s actions fell within offences that warrant forfeiture, effectively nullifying the earlier result and awarding the match to Morocco.

The decision also addressed disciplinary issues involving players and officials. Moroccan midfielder Ismaël Saibari was found guilty of misconduct, but his punishment was reduced to a two-match suspension, with one match suspended, while a $100,000 fine was cancelled.

CAF further ruled on incidents involving Morocco, holding the federation responsible for the conduct of ball boys, although the fine was reduced to $50,000.

A separate $100,000 fine for interference around the VAR area was upheld, while another sanction related to a laser incident was reduced to $10,000.

All other appeals were dismissed.

The governing body said the ruling brings a definitive end to the dispute and confirms its commitment to enforcing competition rules, particularly in high-stakes matches such as the Africa Cup of Nations final.