In a historic and controversial ruling on Tuesday night, the Confederation of African Football (CAF Appeal Board) officially stripped Senegal of their 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) title. But why? Express Sport explains the drama…
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The decision: The CAF Appeal Board overturned the original final result, declaring Senegal to have forfeited the match. This decision follows a successful appeal by the Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) against the initial Disciplinary Board ruling.
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The reason: During the January 18 final, Senegal’s players walked off the pitch for approximately 15 minutes in protest of a late VAR-awarded penalty for Morocco in the eighth minute of second-half stoppage time. CAF ruled this conduct breached Article 84 of the tournament regulations regarding match abandonment and forfeiture.
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The impact: Morocco have been retrospectively crowned AFCON 2025 champions. The original 1–0 victory for Senegal, achieved after extra time, has been erased and replaced with an official administrative score of 3–0 in favour of Morocco.
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What happened? The walk-off occurred after Morocco’s Brahim Diaz was awarded a penalty in stoppage time. Though the players eventually returned and the penalty was missed, CAF determined that leaving the field constituted a forfeiture regardless of the match’s physical conclusion and the trophy being awarded to Senegal.
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Other CAF rulings: The board also addressed other incidents from the chaotic final. It reduced a suspension for Morocco’s Ismael Saibari, lowered fines against the FRMF for ball boy and laser incidents, but upheld a $100,000 fine for interference in the VAR review area.
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Why the chaos isn’t over: This is an unprecedented move in African football history, marking the first time a major continental title has been stripped and re-awarded months after the trophy presentation. The ruling is final within CAF, though Senegal may still appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), which could eventually yet see them reinstated as champions in the future.
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