- The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has officially nullified Sénégal’s victory in the CAN 2025 final against Maroc, which took place on January 18.
- Following post-match investigations into incidents during the final, the CAF Appeal Board penalised the “Lions of Teranga” with a 3-0 forfeit defeat.
- The Senegalese Football Federation now has a ten-day window to escalate the matter to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (TAS).
A massive shockwave has hit the continent’s sporting landscape. According to African news today, the CAF Appeal Board has revoked the title previously held by Sénégal, who had initially defeated Maroc 1-0 after extra time. This unprecedented move by the governing body of African football effectively hands the championship to the Moroccans, who, despite their initial loss on home soil, have been declared winners via a 3-0 forfeit ruling two months later.
“In accordance with Article 84 of the Africa Cup of Nations Regulations, the CAF Appeal Board has decided to declare the Sénégal national team as having forfeited the CAN 2025 final, with the official result recorded as a 3-0 victory for the Royal Moroccan Football Federation,”
the organisation stated in an official release. This development has become a focal point in pan-African current affairs.
Sanctions following pitch abandonment
The controversy stems from the final on January 18. During stoppage time with the score tied at 0-0, the referee awarded a penalty to Maroc. In a collective act of defiance, a significant number of Sénégal players walked off the pitch and headed to the locker rooms. This led to a chaotic twenty-minute delay, during which supporters of the “Lions of Teranga” breached the pitch and clashed with security personnel. Although the match eventually resumed—featuring a missed panenka by Brahim Diaz and a winning goal by Pape Gueye in extra time—the damage was already done.
The Moroccan Federation filed a formal complaint immediately after the match. Two months of deliberation led the appeal jury to uphold the protest, ruling that the actions of Sadio Mané’s teammates fell strictly under the violations described in Articles 82 and 84 of the tournament rules. In the context of Africa politics English readers follow, such regulatory enforcement is seen as a firm stance on discipline.
Article 82 specifies that if a team leaves the field before the end of regulation time without the referee’s consent, they are deemed losers and eliminated from the event. Article 84 reinforces this by stating that any team violating these terms will be excluded and lose the match by a 3-0 margin.
A potential legal battle at the TAS
This decision, which is virtually unheard of at such a high level of competition, triggered immediate and angry responses from the Senegalese squad. Midfielder Pape Demba Diop expressed his disbelief on social media, while Moussa Niakhaté posted images of himself with the trophy, insisting the victory was real and not an illusion. These reactions have dominated African society news circles over the last few hours.
For its part, the Moroccan Federation issued a statement saying it “takes note of the decision”
while clarifying that its appeal was not meant to diminish the athletic talent of their opponents, but rather to ensure the competition’s regulations were respected. However, the saga is far from over, as The Panafrican Press anticipates a swift appeal from Sénégal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (TAS) before the ten-day deadline expires.
