The Appeals Committee of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has officially declared Senegal the loser of the Africa Cup final, which they had initially won 1-0 after extra time. This announcement was made on Tuesday, confirming Morocco as the champion with a revised score of 3-0 following an appeal process initiated by the Moroccan national team after their defeat on January 18, 2026. The CAF communicated this decision through their official channels, highlighting the implications of Article 84 of the tournament regulations, which stipulates that a team can be disqualified for various infractions, including leaving the field without the referee's permission.
The controversial final took place at the Prince Moulay Abdallah Stadium in Rabat, where 69,500 spectators witnessed the match. A penalty awarded to Morocco during stoppage time in the 100th minute led to Senegal's threat of abandoning the match. Following this incident, all Senegalese players, except for forward Sadio Mane, left the field in protest, while Morocco and the referee remained on the pitch. After the Senegalese players returned for the continuation of the match, Brahim Díaz missed the penalty, which allowed the game to proceed to extra time. Here, Pape Gueye scored the decisive goal for Senegal in the 94th minute, resulting in a 1-0 victory.
The Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) filed an appeal against their defeat in the final, citing Senegal's unauthorized exit from the match as a violation of Article 82 of the Africa Cup of Nations regulations. CAF's official statement on Tuesday confirmed that the appeal was deemed valid and accepted, leading to Senegal's disqualification due to their actions during the match. The CAF's Appeals Committee concluded, stating that the Senegalese Football Federation (FSF) had indeed violated the regulations, thus declaring Morocco the winners with a score of 3-0.
In a related development, both Senegal and Morocco faced penalties and fines due to the chaotic nature of the Africa Cup final. The CAF also slightly reduced the sanction imposed on Moroccan player Ismael Saibari from three matches to two, acknowledging the partial acceptance of the appeal from the Moroccan federation regarding his misconduct during the final. Additionally, the hefty fine of $100,000 previously placed on Saibari was annulled.
Furthermore, the CAF held the Moroccan Football Federation accountable for the actions of ball boys during the match, reducing their fine to $50,000, and also imposing a $100,000 fine for interference with the OFR/VAR review area. The Appeals Committee likewise partially accepted the appeal concerning the laser incident, resulting in a reduced fine for Morocco to $10,000.
As reported by cnnespanol.cnn.com.
