AFCON Strips Senegal of Title, Crowns Morocco 2025 Champions After CAF Appeal Ruling

Morocco has been officially crowned champions of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations after the CAF Appeal Board overturned the result of the final against Senegal. The decision comes after extraordinary scenes in Rabat where the Lions of Teranga walked off the pitch in protest, leading to a retrospective 3-0 forfeit victory for the host nation.

In a detailed statement, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Appeal Board confirmed that the appeal lodged by the FRMF was “declared admissible in form and the appeal is upheld.” This landmark ruling effectively strips Senegal of what would have been their second continental crown, rewarding the hosts for a match that descended into chaos during extra time.

The roots of the controversy lie in a heated moment deep into stoppage time when Morocco’s Brahim Diaz went down in the box. While the referee initially waved play away, a VAR review resulted in a spot-kick for the hosts. This sparked a furious reaction from the Senegalese bench, with head coach Pape Thiaw instructing his players to return to the dressing room in a protest that lasted several minutes.

The CAF Appeal Board found that “the conduct of the Senegal team falls within the scope of Articles 82 and 84 of the Regulations of the Africa Cup of Nations.” By leaving the field of play, Senegal was deemed to have infringed on the regulations, leading to the administrative 3-0 defeat. The ruling sets aside the previous CAF Disciplinary Board decision and confirms that the protest lodged by Morocco has been fully upheld.

The CAF statement read: “The Confédération Africaine de Football (“CAF”) Appeal Board decided today that in application of Article 84 of the Regulations of the CAF Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), the Senegal National Team is declared to have forfeited the Final Match of the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) Morocco 2025 (“the Match”), with the result of the Match being recorded as 3–0 in favour of the Fédération Royale Marocaine de Football (FRMF).

“On the appeal by the FRMF regarding the application of Articles 82 and 84 of the Regulations of the CAF Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), the CAF Appeal Board made the following rulings:

“The appeal lodged by the Fédération Royale Marocaine de Football (FRMF) is declared admissible in form and the appeal is upheld.

“The CAF Disciplinary Board decision is set aside.

“The CAF Appeal Board further finds that the conduct of the Senegal team falls within the scope of Articles 82 and 84 of the Regulations of the Africa Cup of Nations.

“The protest lodged by the Fédération Royale Marocaine de Football (FRMF) is upheld.

“It is declared that the Fédération Sénégalaise de Football (FSF), through the conduct of its team, infringed Article 82 of the Regulations of the Africa Cup of Nations.

“In application of Article 84 of the Regulations of the Africa Cup of Nations, the Senegal team is declared to have forfeited the match, with the result recorded as 3–0 in favour of the Fédération Royale Marocaine de Football (FRMF).

“All other motions or prayers for relief are dismissed.”

While most of the squad followed Thiaw to the dressing room, it was Sadio Mane who was able to beckon them back to the pitch to complete the game. Mane later explained: “When they decided to go out and not play, I stayed and asked some people, ‘What do you think about this? Is it a good idea or not?’ Then I decided to go and bring everyone back to the pitch. I think it is the best thing to do. Because this is just football, I think the referee sometimes can make mistakes. People around the world are watching. It could be a penalty or not, but that is not the most important thing. What matters is respecting the game. It is not fair to stop a match like this.”

The players later returned and Diaz missed the penalty, aiming a Panenka attempt straight at the goalkeeper. With the game tied at 0-0, the contest went into extra time where Papa Gueye broke the deadlock to seal the win for Senegal.

The ruling also addressed several incidents involving the match environment and fan behaviour. While Morocco were named winners, the FRMF did not escape financial penalties entirely. The CAF Appeal Board dismissed an appeal regarding “interference around the OFR/VAR review area,” confirming a $100,000 fine for the Moroccan federation after officials were hounded during the tense second-half review.

Other fines were slightly mitigated; the penalty for the use of lasers by the home crowd was reduced to $10,000, while the fine for a controversial incident involving ball boys was halved to $50,000. Despite these financial hits, the overriding takeaway remains the seismic shift in the tournament’s history books, with Senegal losing the title they fought so hard to win on the turf.