The Confederation of African Football’s Appeals Committee has overturned the result of the 2025 AFCON final, turning Senegal’s 1-0 victory into a 3-0 defeat.
Morocco lost to Senegal in the AFCON final, but the result was overturned
It was just another night for the brilliant Achraf Hakimi as Paris Saint-Germain defeated Chelsea on Tuesday, simultaneously winning a major international tournament.
It appeared that some of his PSG teammates were trying to tell him the news from the Confederation of African Football (CAF), but Hakimi didn’t seem to believe it.
And why would he do that? Why did he believe that CAF would bring into disrepute a tournament that was supposed to be his pride and joy?
More importantly, did Hakimi celebrate late into the night in London (or Paris) after being convinced the news was real? Of course it wasn’t.
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Soccer players are soccer players, and athletes are athletes. The only thing that is honorable is the honor that is won on the field of play.
And Hakimi and his Moroccan teammates lost on the field of play on that raucous and often gruesome night of farce in Rabat. Senegal, whose 1-0 extra-time victory was turned into a 3-0 defeat by the CAF Appeals Committee, are currently appealing their case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), and it is difficult to see how their own appeal could not succeed.
If there was a provision for Senegal to forfeit the match if they removed a player from the pitch without permission, it should have been applied at the time. by a referee or CAF official.
Achraf Hakimi heard that his Moroccan team had won the AFCON final after a happy night with Paris Saint-Germain at Stamford Bridge
Had the regulations been clear, they could have been enforced once most of the Senegalese players had left the pitch. Instead, after a 10-minute delay, Morocco accepted the return of their opponent, missed the penalty kick that would have given them a genuine victory, and ultimately “lost” the match in extra time.
The night cast little positive light on CAF, with Hakimi himself receiving no credit for his role in trying to steal the towel from Senegal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy. It was a very controversial night in addition to the violence inside the stadium, but it was a shame because AFCON 2025 was a great tournament.
This is a tournament where the standard improves with each round. And no matter what you think of the walk-off after Morocco were awarded a controversial second-half penalty, Senegal were the best team throughout.
If they’re willing to take harsh criticism for losing by default, then they were worthy champions. In fact, change it.
Sadio Mane and his Senegal teammates celebrate AFCON glory after the controversial match against Morocco (Image: Samah Zidan/Anadolu via Getty Images)
They deserve to be champions. Because no matter what happens in the appeal room, they will be viewed that way by the football world. A full game of soccer was played and they won. It’s very simple.
Whether they should have been allowed to continue and play the full game after their “protest” was a question that should have been addressed at the time. I had time to do it.
There is clearly a chance that an appeal to CAS of a CAF Appeals Board decision will be successful. But that doesn’t really matter. Anyone who watched that match knows who won. And Hakimi knows who won.
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