₦airaland Forum

The Senegalese Football Federation has rejected the decision of the Confederation of African Football Appeal Board awarding the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations title to Morocco and confirmed it will challenge the ruling at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Morocco were on Tuesday crowned champions of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations after the Confederation of African Football Appeal Board overturned the result of the final against Senegal, ruling that the West African side forfeited the match following a walk-off during the game in Rabat on January 19.

CAF stated that “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 recorded as 3–0 in favour of the Fédération Royale Marocaine de Football.”

The decision followed a protest by Morocco after chaotic scenes late in the final, when Senegal players briefly left the pitch after a disallowed goal and a penalty awarded to the hosts, an action the appeal board ruled fell under Articles 82 and 84 of the competition regulations on misconduct and forfeiture.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Fédération Sénégalaise de Football said it had taken note of the decision delivered by CAF’s Appeal Committee in case DC23316, which followed a complaint filed during match 52 of the TotalEnergies AFCON Morocco 2025 final between Senegal and Morocco.

“The Senegalese Football Federation has today taken note of the notification of the decision rendered on March 17, 2026 by the Appeals Committee of the Confederation of African Football, in the context of case DC23316,” the statement read.

The federation said the appeal board declared admissible the protest lodged by the Fédération Royale Marocaine de Football and overturned the earlier decision of the CAF Disciplinary Board, citing a procedural flaw in the initial hearing.

“With this decision, the CAF Appeals Board declared the appeal of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation admissible and accepted it.

“In doing so, the board overturned the decision rendered by the CAF Disciplinary Board, on the grounds that the appellant’s right to be heard had not been respected during the initial proceedings,” the FSF said.

According to the statement, the appeal committee ruled that the conduct of the Senegal national team fell under Articles 82 and 84 of the Africa Cup of Nations regulations, leading to the forfeiture decision.

“The Appeals Committee also determined that the conduct of the Senegalese team fell under Articles 82 and 84 of the Africa Cup of Nations Regulations.

“Consequently, CAF declared that the FSF had violated Article 82 and awarded the match by forfeit, with a recorded score of 3–0 in favor of the FRMF, in accordance with Article 84,” the federation stated.

Reacting to the verdict, the Senegalese federation criticised the decision, describing it as damaging to the credibility of African football.

“The Senegalese Football Federation denounces an unfair, unprecedented and unacceptable decision that discredits African football,” the statement added.

The federation confirmed that it would file an appeal before the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, Switzerland.

“To defend its rights and the interests of Senegalese football, the Federation will initiate, as soon as possible, an appeal procedure before the Court of Arbitration for Sport,” the statement said.

The FSF added that it remained committed to due process and would continue to inform the public as the case progresses.

“The FSF reaffirms its unwavering commitment to the values of integrity and sporting justice, and will keep the public informed of the follow-up to this matter,” the statement concluded.

Source: https://punchng.com/afcon-drama-senegal-rejects-caf-verdict-moves-to-appeal

Nice move. Morocco should be ashamed of themselves

Africa is a very disgraceful planet shall

God will disgrace CAF and Morocco
Wuruwuru people

Africa have a long way to go.
I dey shame for my continent.

Why always Africa...?

Anything to please morroco I guess. (Who has been throwing a tantrum like a kid whose candy was snatched) If other countries like they should not develop their sports facilities.


Let morroco and few other countries like south Africa with the facilities to host tournaments continue to squeeze them by the balls!

CAF and asssslicking of Morocco is something that Donald Trump really need to look into .

The most interesting, entertaining and most vuewed AFCON ended up becoming the worst of all AFCONs!!!

Refree on pitch decision is the final. CAF should know better. No be senegal's fault that Diaz missed the pk

You can only overrule the ref if an ineligible player is fielded

Nice one! Exactly what I had in mind for them to do.

adenigga:
Source: https://punchng.com/afcon-drama-senegal-rejects-caf-verdict-moves-to-appeal

CAF is a useless organization

CAF better respect themselves . So they didn't see all the trash Morocco did throughout the tournament

Tournaments are won on the pitch not in court rooms.

Dem wan turn football to Naija elections were a seven man panel selects their preferred candidates after millions of people have already voted
Morrocco and their fellow North Africans are petty. They should move on and stop crying like spoilt brats.

Mrfixitt:
Nice move. Morocco should be ashamed of themselves

Not Morocco but CAF for making such decision.

"DRAMA" indeed.

Moroco wants to collect it by force.

May justice prevail

adenigga:
Source: https://punchng.com/afcon-drama-senegal-rejects-caf-verdict-moves-to-appeal

The question is why did CAF carried on with the game till the penalty kicks ? They need to answer this question.

The most meaningless verdict ever Africa why this kind continental disgrace

adenigga:
Source: https://punchng.com/afcon-drama-senegal-rejects-caf-verdict-moves-to-appeal

Instead of CAF to balance Morocco and both business parties move on, they want to drag African football reputation to the mud. Makes you wonder what kind of leverage Morocco has on CAF? To make such announcements after months. When Jamie comes for AFCON tomorrow, no one should attack him o because what shade of fuckery is this?

This is the worst Fifa & CAF president we’ve ever had in football..

This is pathetic. How can you insist a team must win a match at all cost even when they were clearly not the better side.

AFCON is going to lose it's credibility and self destruct if they continue in this path.

If na me I no even need to appeal, but that trophy I no fit return am lai lai, make them give Morocco another one.

The truth of the matter is that the decision was the correct one but was delayed.
This decision should have happened immediately Senegalese players left the pitch, but not making the decision then. They shouldn't have made the decision now, they should have allowed it stand.

CAF is not serious at alllllllll!

The punishment for a WALK-OUT is loss of the match +Sanctions, but the Referee must 1st declare a WALK-OUT. It's a Referee's on-field decision & there are conditions for it.

Sadio Mane stayed back urging his players to return, so the Referee obviously decided that their PROTEST did not get to the point to declare a WALK-OUT.
Moreover, if he had declared a WALK-OUT, & the match awarded to Morocco, it would have ruined the Final & the competition.
So nothing wrong with the Referee's decision here. Anyway, that's his decision & it is Final.
Don't also forget that the Referee was all along communicating with VAR & other match officials, so it's not his decision alone.

So CAF sitting in a boardroom to overturn the Referee's decision is totally wrong.
Never in the history of football has a Referee's on-field decision been overturned.

&after deciding to allow play continue, Morocco was still awarded the penalty which Brahimi missed.
It's just because Morocco eventually lost the match that they are causing wahala.
There would have been no issues if they had scored & won in extra time.

PulaPower:
This is the worst Fifa & CAF president we’ve ever had in football..

Fifa is the most corrupt body in the world.

CAF is a disgrace and a joke. Senegal won the trophy but they want to use INEC and APC pattern to overturn it.

I can understand Morocco's greed but why would CAF wanna ridicule herself and Africa football beats me.

This is daylight robbery in African football

Straight to FIFA. Nonsense caf and morrrocco

While I may understand Morocco's greed, CAF trying to ridicule herself and Africa football beats me.

CAF is a cesspool of corruption.it is high time western African nations organized their own tournament and forget about African Cup of Nations.