The Senegal national team was stripped of the title of winner of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, being awarded a technical defeat - 3:0. Thus, the Morocco national team became the holder of the Africa Cup of Nations. Senegal disagrees with the decision and stated that it will appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. This was reported by the Confederation of African Football, according to UNN.
Details
"The Appeals Committee of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has decided that, in accordance with Article 84 of the CAF Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) Regulations, the Senegal national team is deemed to have failed to appear for the final match of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, and the match result has been recorded as 3:0 in favor of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation," the federation's decision states.
Addition
On January 18, the final of the Africa Cup of Nations took place at Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Morocco, where the Senegal national team and the Morocco national team met.
In the 91+1 minute, Senegal scored a goal, but the referee disallowed it due to a foul by Abdoulaye Seck on Moroccan defender Achraf Hakimi. Five minutes later, after a corner kick, Senegalese defender Malik Diouf held Brahim Díaz with his hands in his own penalty area, and after VAR review, the referee awarded a penalty to Senegal.
The head referee's decision angered the Senegalese head coach, and he took the team off the field, refusing to continue the game. However, the star forward of the Senegalese national team, Sadio Mané, persuaded his teammates to return to the field and continue the game.
At the same time, Moroccan midfielder Brahim Díaz failed to convert the penalty, shooting a Panenka down the center of the goal, where Senegalese goalkeeper Édouard Mendy remained standing.
Thus, the score in regular time remained 0:0, and the game went into extra time, where Pape Gueye scored the winning goal for the Senegalese, securing the trophy for his national team.
After the match, the Moroccan Football Federation filed an appeal, and CAF has now upheld it, stating that the behavior of the Senegalese team constitutes a serious violation of the regulations.
The Senegalese Football Federation stated that it decided to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport after the decision of the Appeals Committee of the Confederation of African Football.
On the field, the "Lions of Senegal" still won 1:0 after a fierce and tense match. But after the CAF disciplinary committee rejected the initial complaint, Morocco appealed to the CAF appeals committee. Against all expectations, the appeals committee ultimately ruled in favor of Morocco, causing a wave of indignation in Senegal.
In an official statement, the Senegalese Football Federation condemned the "unjust decision," reaffirming its commitment to "defend the rights of Senegalese football by all available legal means." The country's sports leadership believes that the principles of fair play were not observed.
The players of Senegal reacted to the Federation's decision. In particular, Senegalese national team midfielder Malik Diouf wrote on Instagram: "The Africa Cup is won on the green field, not through emails."
Another Senegalese, Moussa Niakhaté, posted a photo with the cup, captioning it: "This is not AI, this is reality."
Recall
The head coach of the Senegal national team expressed a protest due to the improper organization of the team's security upon arrival in Rabat. The footballers were left without security escort, which put them in danger.