Senegal Reject CAF’s Decision To Declare Morocco AFCON 2025 Winners

The Senegalese Football Federation has rejected a contentious ruling by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Appeal Board that awarded the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations title to Morocco, announcing plans to escalate the matter to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Morocco were on Tuesday declared champions after CAF overturned the result of the final against Senegal, ruling that the West African side forfeited the match following a walk-off during the game in Rabat on January 19.

CAF stated that “the Senegal national team is declared to have forfeited the final match of the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025, with the result recorded as 3–0 in favour of the Fédération Royale Marocaine de Football.”

The decision followed a protest by the Fédération Royale Marocaine de Football after chaotic scenes late in the final, when Senegal players briefly left the pitch after a disallowed goal and a penalty awarded to the hosts. The appeal board ruled the incident fell under Articles 82 and 84 of the competition regulations on misconduct and forfeiture.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, March 18, the Fédération Sénégalaise de Football (FSF) said it had taken note of the decision delivered by CAF’s Appeal Committee in case DC23316, which followed a complaint filed during match 52 of the final.

“The Senegalese Football Federation has today taken note of the notification of the decision rendered on March 17, 2026, by the Appeals Committee of the Confederation of African Football, in the context of case DC23316,” the statement read.

The federation said the appeal board declared admissible the protest lodged by the Moroccan federation and overturned the earlier decision of the CAF Disciplinary Board, citing a procedural flaw in the initial hearing.

“With this decision, the CAF Appeals Board declared the appeal of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation admissible and accepted it,” the FSF said.

“In doing so, the board overturned the decision rendered by the CAF Disciplinary Board, because the appellant’s right to be heard had not been respected during the initial proceedings,” the FSF said.

According to the statement, the appeal committee ruled that the conduct of the Senegal national team fell under Articles 82 and 84 of the AFCON regulations, leading to the forfeiture decision.

“The Appeals Committee also determined that the conduct of the Senegalese team fell under Articles 82 and 84 of the Africa Cup of Nations Regulations,” the federation stated.

“Consequently, CAF declared that the FSF had violated Article 82 and awarded the match by forfeit, with a recorded score of 3-0 in favour of the FRMF, in accordance with Article 84.”

Reacting to the verdict, the Senegalese federation criticised the decision, describing it as damaging to the credibility of African football.

“The Senegalese Football Federation denounces an unfair, unprecedented and unacceptable decision that discredits African football,” the statement added.

The federation confirmed that it would file an appeal before the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, Switzerland.

“To defend its rights and the interests of Senegalese football, the Federation will initiate, as soon as possible, an appeal procedure before the Court of Arbitration for Sport,” the statement said.

The FSF added that it remained committed to due process and would continue to inform the public as the case progresses.

“The FSF reaffirms its unwavering commitment to the values of integrity and sporting justice, and will keep the public informed of the follow-up to this matter,” the statement concluded.