Senegal won the African Cup of Nations in January. (Image: Getty)
Senegal reportedly intends to challenge the Confederation of African Football (CAF)’s decision to overturn the result of the 2025 African Cup of Nations final and award victory to Morocco. Senegal won 1-0 in the final on January 18, but the match was marred by major controversy.
A 17-minute stoppage occurred late in the match after VAR awarded hosts Morocco a penalty for a questionable foul. Moments earlier, Senegal had a goal ruled out due to another questionable call by referee Jean-Jacques Ndala.
Senegal’s players refused to continue playing, with some leaving the pitch and returning to their locker rooms. After his return, Brahim Diaz’s penalty was blocked and Pape Gueye scored the winning goal in extra time, clinching his second AFCON crown.
Nevertheless, two months after the final, CAF announced that the results had been canceled following a ruling by the governing body’s appeals committee. The statement claimed that Senegal was “sentenced to forfeit the final”, resulting in a 3-0 victory for Morocco.
The Senegalese Football Federation has agreed to challenge the ruling at the Court of Arbitration for Sport, calling it “an unfair, unprecedented and unacceptable judgment that brings credibility to African football.” Journalist Melissa Reddy said the federation was not abandoning the result and was likely to argue that the match ended with the referee’s whistle.
“Since the match continued under the same circumstances and reached its natural end, it can be said that Article 82 was incorrectly applied,” she wrote in the X newspaper. “The referee’s decision to allow Senegal back on the pitch and Morocco’s willingness to continue will be used to say that the match and result were justified. Now that the final is over, they will be able to argue that the integrity of the match was protected.”
Sadio Mane helped Senegal beat Morocco in January (Image: Getty)
“They could also argue that changing the winner of a finished final would be an extreme overreach by the appeals committee. They could also argue that the penalty for delay, rather than refusal to play at the end of the game, is excessive.”
Abdoulaye Seydou Sou, secretary-general of the Senegalese Football Federation, told public broadcaster Radio Diffusion TV Senegalers that he intends to pursue a fair verdict beyond the CAF verdict. “This is a travesty. This decision is based on absolutely nothing,” he said.
“There is no legal basis for this. The president of the federation will contact his lawyer. We will liaise with the appropriate authorities and then go to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, where a final decision will be taken.”
In addition to the drama surrounding the controversial penalty, there were other events that marred the occasion. During the final, Senegal’s stand-in goalkeeper Yehuvan Diouf was forced to protect Edouard Mendy’s towel from a Moroccan ball boy, and at one stage was seen dragging Diouf across the pitch.
Diouf also had to fend off PSV Eindhoven and Moroccan winger Ismael Saibari. The forward positioned himself between the two goalkeepers as he tried to hand Mendy the towel.
After the match, Senegal coach Pape Tiao stormed out of the press conference after being jeered by Moroccan reporters. The 44-year-old received applause from Senegalese journalists, but Thiau declined to comment on the final after receiving jeers from locals.
