Morocco have been officially crowned champions of Africa two months after losing the final on the pitch, following a landmark ruling by the Confederation of African Football’s Appeal Board that declared Senegal forfeited the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations final, stripping the Lions of Teranga of what would have been their second continental crown in an extraordinary and unprecedented decision.
The CAF Appeal Board ruled that in application of Article 84 of the AFCON regulations, the Senegal national team is declared to have forfeited the final match of the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025, with the result officially recorded as 3–0 in favour of the Fédération Royale Marocaine de Football.
The ruling is without precedent in the history of AFCON and indeed at the highest level of international football, ending Morocco’s 49-year wait to be crowned continental champions, not on the field, but in the boardroom.
The chaos that led to Tuesday’s ruling began during the final in Rabat on January 18. Angered by a series of refereeing decisions that culminated with Brahim Díaz being awarded a penalty in the 83rd minute, Senegal head coach Pape Thiaw ordered his players off the pitch. The match was suspended for 14 minutes, during which Senegal supporters invaded the field and clashed with both Moroccan fans and police. When play resumed, Díaz missed his penalty. Sadio Mané’s side returned to the pitch and went on to win the match in extra time, with Pape Gueye scoring the only goal.
At an initial disciplinary hearing, CAF imposed fines of more than $1 million and bans for players and officials from both countries but left the original 1-0 result in Senegal’s favour unchanged. Morocco’s football federation launched a formal appeal.
The Appeal Board upheld that appeal in full. CAF justified the verdict by invoking Article 82 of the AFCON regulations, which states that if a team “refuses to play or leaves the ground before the regular end of the match without the authorisation of the referee, it shall be considered loser and shall be eliminated for good from the current competition.” Article 84 specifies that the defaulting team loses 3–0. The ruling effectively declared null and void all events that occurred after Senegal’s players exited the pitch.
The ruling also addressed several ancillary matters. Moroccan player Ismaël Saibari was found guilty of misconduct, but his punishment was reduced to a two-match suspension with one suspended, while a previously imposed $100,000 fine was cancelled. The FRMF was held responsible for the conduct of ball boys, with an associated fine reduced to $50,000. A $100,000 fine for interference around the VAR review area was upheld, while a laser-related sanction was reduced to $10,000.
Senegal’s players were outraged. Defender Moussa Niakhaté posted a picture of himself lifting the trophy on Instagram with a message in French reading: “Come and get it! They’re crazy!” Left back El Hadji Malick Diouf added on his Instagram story: “It’s not what I expected… this thing isn’t going anywhere.”
The Senegalese Football Federation has vowed to fight on. “We will not back down. The law is on our side,” said Abdoulaye Seydou Sow, secretary general of the FSF, who confirmed the federation would file a further appeal. One available avenue is the Court of Arbitration for Sport, the independent arbitration body based in Lausanne, Switzerland.
The Royal Moroccan Football Federation, for its part, said its appeal was never intended to challenge the sporting performance of the teams involved but solely to request the application of the competition’s regulations, reaffirming its commitment to respecting the rules and maintaining the stability of African competitions.
