CAF strips Senegal of their title, awarding the AFCON 2025 championship to Morocco.
After 57 days of investigation, CAF officially ruled Senegal 0-3 defeated due to abandoning the pitch during the final match, thus awarding the championship title to the host nation Morocco.
A shocking decision was made by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) on Tuesday evening, as the governing body officially reversed the result of the 2025 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) final. Exactly 57 days after the final whistle, the championship was awarded to host nation Morocco with a 3-0 victory, meaning Senegal was officially stripped of their title.
The fateful strike at Prince Moulay Abdallah
Going back in time to January 18th at the Prince Moulay Abdallah Stadium, the final match between Morocco and Senegal unfolded in an extremely tense atmosphere. The turning point came in injury time of the second half when Senegal were denied a potentially game-winning goal, and shortly afterwards they conceded a penalty from the referee.
Dissatisfied with these decisions, Senegal's head coach, Pape Thiaw, took the most controversial action in the tournament's history: inciting the players to leave the pitch in protest. In that moment of chaos, only captain Sadio Mane remained on the field. The match was interrupted for more than 15 minutes, leading to brawls in the stands between fans of both teams.
Although the Senegalese players later agreed to return to play, Brahim Diaz of Morocco missed a penalty and Pape Gueye scored the only goal in the 94th minute of extra time to give Senegal a 1-0 victory on the pitch, but their earlier abandonment of the match became a legal trap that cost them everything.
A historic ruling based on AFCON regulations.
Immediately after the match, the Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) filed a complaint with CAF and FIFA. Coach Walid Regragui then called the opponent's actions "shameful". FIFA President Gianni Infantino, who was in attendance at the match, also strongly criticized the abandonment of the game as unacceptable.
Following a thorough investigation, the CAF Appeals Committee delivered its final ruling based on strict disciplinary measures:
- Violation of Article 82:Senegal were ruled to have left the field before the end of the match without the referee's permission.
- Applying Article 84:The team that violates the rule against abandoning a match will be penalized with a 0-3 loss.
This ruling is final and rejects all appeals from the Senegalese Football Federation.
Fierce reactions from both sides.
The decision to strip them of the trophy sparked outrage within the Senegalese national team. Although the country's football federation has not yet issued an official statement, they have defiantly responded by reposting a video of their championship celebration on an open-top bus.
On social media platforms, the Senegalese players collectively expressed their sarcasm. Star player Ismaila Sarr posted a series of laughing emojis, while defender El Hadji Malick Diouf asserted that his team were the true champions. Goalkeeper Yehvann Diouf and Moussa Niakhate even issued scathing challenges to the ruling.
Conversely, Morocco expressed satisfaction with the outcome. The FRMF affirmed that the complaint did not stem from jealousy, but aimed to protect the dignity of the rules and the stability of African football. Currently, the AFCON 2025 history books officially list Morocco as the new champion.