The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has officially awarded the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) title to Morocco following a ruling by its Appeal Board.
In a statement, CAF confirmed that, in application of Article 84 of the AFCON regulations, the Senegal national team is deemed to have forfeited the final match of the TotalEnergies CAF AFCON Morocco 2025.
Consequently, the match has been recorded as a 3–0 victory in favour of the Fédération Royale Marocaine de Football (FRMF).
Senegal is expected to appeal the decision at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in a bid to overturn the ruling.
What happened
The controversy stems from events during the AFCON final played in January 2026. Senegal initially protested a disallowed penalty decision in the 90+2 minute.
In the 90+8 minute, Morocco was awarded a penalty following a VAR review after a foul by Malick Diouf on Brahim Díaz.
Senegal head coach Pape Thiaw reacted angrily to the decision and instructed his players to walk off the pitch and head to the dressing room.
Former Liverpool FC forward Sadio Mané intervened, calming his teammates and persuading them to return to the field after a 16-minute delay.
When play resumed, Díaz attempted a Panenka penalty, which was saved by former Chelsea FC goalkeeper Édouard Mendy.
In extra time, Pape Gueye scored what proved to be the winning goal, as Senegal went on to celebrate victory at the final whistle.
CAF disciplinary action
Following the match, CAF condemned what it described as “unacceptable behaviour” by some Senegal players and officials.
Disciplinary measures were subsequently imposed. Coach Pape Thiaw received a five-match suspension and a $100,000 fine, while Iliman Ndiaye and Ismaïla Sarr were each handed two-match bans.
The Senegalese Football Federation (FSF) was also fined $600,000.
Morocco’s appeal
The decision follows an appeal lodged by the FRMF, which maintained that its action was based on ensuring adherence to competition regulations rather than disputing on-field performance.
In its initial response, the Moroccan federation stated that its objective was to uphold the rules, ensure clarity in the competition framework, and maintain stability within African football.
The federation also commended all participating nations for contributing to what it described as a significant edition of AFCON, adding that a comprehensive official statement would be issued after internal consultations.
