Senegal have been stripped of the Africa Cup of Nations title they won in January. CAF's appeals board ruled this week that by walking off the field during the final, the Teranga Lions forfeited the match — flipping their 1-0 extra-time win over Morocco into a 3-0 default victory for the hosts.
Senegal aren't accepting it. The squad has vowed to take the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, which means the actual, legally settled outcome of a final played on January 18 could remain unresolved well into 2027.
What actually happened in Rabat
The final unraveled in stoppage time. Senegal had a goal ruled out, Morocco were awarded a penalty, scuffles broke out between players, and Senegalese fans behind the goal tried to storm the pitch. Coach Pape Thiaw led most of his squad off the field.
Then it got stranger. They came back roughly ten minutes later. Morocco's Brahim Díaz stepped up for the penalty and hit a Panenka — Édouard Mendy saved it. Senegal's Pape Gueye scored in extra time. Senegal celebrated a title. Two months later, it's been taken away.
Whether the walkoff was a justified response to refereeing chaos or an act of abandonment is the entire argument. CAF said it was the latter. Senegal say they returned and played the game to its conclusion. CAS will have the final word.
CAF's long record of controversy
This is not an isolated incident. African football's governing body has been navigating disasters — administrative, political, and physical — for decades. A brief history:
- 2010: Togo were ambushed in Angola on the way to the AFCON tournament. Three people died. The players wanted to continue; the Togolese Prime Minister ordered them home. CAF disqualified Togo and then banned them from the next two editions, ruling the withdrawal was politically motivated.
- 2013–2023: Every single AFCON since 2013 has been moved from its original host. South Africa replaced war-torn Libya in 2013. Morocco pulled out of 2015; Equatorial Guinea stepped in. Cameroon lost the 2019 hosting rights over infrastructure delays and a security crisis in its western region. Guinea was stripped of the 2025 tournament in 2022 — Morocco took over.
- 2015: The semifinal between Equatorial Guinea and Ghana in Malabo turned into a riot. Home fans pelted Ghana's players and supporters with bottles after the Black Stars scored twice late in the first half. Police helicopters circled the stadium. Fans had to be escorted out mid-match.
- 2019 CAF Champions League: Wydad Casablanca walked off in the final against Espérance de Tunis after a goal was disallowed and VAR wasn't working. Espérance were awarded the trophy, then CAF ordered it back for a replay. Both clubs refused. CAS intervened and confirmed Espérance as champions — a process that dragged on for months.
- 2021 AFCON (played in 2022): A referee blew the final whistle twice too early in a Mali vs Tunisia group game with Mali leading 1-0. Officials tried to restart the match 30 minutes later; Tunisia refused, with their coach noting his players were already in ice baths. Mali were awarded the win. Separately, gunfire between rebels and government soldiers near the Mali camp left two dead and five injured during the same tournament.
- 2022 Olembe Stadium crush: At least eight people were killed and 38 injured in a stampede outside Yaoundé's 60,000-capacity Olembe Stadium before a last-16 game between Cameroon and Comoros. Witnesses blamed security failures at the gates.
The pattern here isn't bad luck. It's a governance structure that repeatedly finds itself reacting to crises rather than preventing them — and then issuing rulings that generate their own secondary controversies.
As things stand, Morocco are the official AFCON champions. Senegal have a trophy they can't display without an asterisk. CAS has a new case on its docket. The 2025 Africa Cup of Nations title will not be settled in 2025.
