Senegal have responded to the Confederation of African Football’s decision to be stripped of their African Cup of Nations title following chaotic scenes in the final against Morocco.
Senegal’s victory over Morocco in the AFCON final was overturned (Image: Samah Zidan/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Senegal has announced it will appeal the “unfair, unprecedented and unacceptable” decision to overturn its Africa Cup of Nations victory. The Confederation of African Football (Caf) made a bombshell statement on Tuesday night saying the result of the final had been overturned and Morocco had won the 2025 final in January.
Senegal won the final 1-0 on January 18 to claim their second AFCON title, but only after a chaotic match in Rabat. Coach Pape Thiau and his players left the pitch in protest of Morocco being awarded a penalty by VAR, causing chaos in the stands.
After a 15-minute delay, Senegal returned to the pitch and continued play, with Brahim Dias’ penalty saved by Edouard Mendy and Pape Gueye scoring the winning goal in extra time. However, African football’s governing body Caf announced that Senegal had been “declared disqualified from progressing to the final”, with hosts Morocco winning 3-0.
This followed an appeal by the Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF), which was “declared formally acceptable” and upheld. However, the controversial decision will not be the last, as the Senegalese Football Federation (FSF) has said it will take the matter to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas).
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read more: The final result of AFCON is reversed due to the announcement of an unusual statement following the turmoil in Senegal.read more: Full AFCON statement as Morocco named champions and Senegal sanctions confirmed
“The Senegalese Football Federation (FSF) was today informed of the decision taken on March 17, 2026 by the Appeals Committee of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) in the DC23316 case. This procedure follows a complaint lodged during the Total Energy Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2025 Morocco Match 52 match between Senegal and Morocco,” it said in a statement.
“In its decision, the CAF Appeals Committee declared and accepted the appeal of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF). In doing so, the Committee reversed the decision taken by the CAF Disciplinary Committee on the basis that the appellant’s right to be heard was not respected in the initial proceedings.”
There was crowd trouble after Senegal was sent off (Image: Franck FIFE / AFP via Getty Images)
“The Appeals Committee also determined that the actions of the Senegal team fell within Articles 82 and 84 of the African Cup of Nations Regulations. As a result, CAF declared that the FSF had breached Article 82 and awarded Senegal a default under Article 84 with a recorded score of 3-0 in favor of the FRMF.
“The Senegalese Football Federation condemns this unfair, unprecedented and unacceptable decision that discredits African football. In order to protect the rights and interests of the Senegalese Football Federation, the Senegalese Football Federation will launch an appeal as soon as possible to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne.”
“FSF reaffirms its unwavering commitment to the values of integrity and sporting justice and will continue to keep the public informed about developments on this issue.”
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