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| CAF Strips Senegal of AFCON Title After Dramatic Appeal Morocco Crowned Champions 50 Years Later |
The ruling came Tuesday after CAF’s Appeal Board upheld Morocco’s protest over events during the final in Rabat. The match, originally won 1–0 by Senegal after extra time, has now been recorded as a 3–0 victory for Morocco due to Senegal’s temporary walk-off during the game.
The controversy began late in regulation time when a penalty was awarded to Morocco following a VAR review by referee Jean-Jacques Ndala. The decision came after Senegal defender El Hadji Malick Diouf was judged to have pulled down Brahim DÃaz while defending a corner deep into stoppage time.
Furious over the call, Senegal’s players briefly walked off the pitch after coach Pape Bouna Thiaw instructed them to leave. Although the team eventually returned—reportedly persuaded by captain Sadio Mané—CAF ruled that the walk-off violated tournament regulations.
According to CAF, Articles 82 and 84 of the competition rules state that any team refusing to continue a match or leaving the field without the referee’s approval is automatically considered to have forfeited.
The decision overturns the earlier ruling by CAF’s Disciplinary Board, which had dismissed Morocco’s protest. With the appeal now upheld, Morocco are crowned African champions for only the second time in their history, exactly 50 years after their first AFCON triumph.
Senegal, however, has rejected the verdict and announced plans to challenge it at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Switzerland.
The incident has sparked widespread debate across African football, overshadowing what had otherwise been a successful tournament.
Morocco’s football federation said its appeal was not meant to question sporting performance but to ensure that competition rules were properly applied.
If Senegal proceeds with its CAS appeal, the final outcome of one of the most controversial AFCON finals in recent history could still be decided in court.