The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has officially declared Morocco as the champions of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) following a significant ruling from its appeal board. This decision came to light on Tuesday, overturning a previous disciplinary verdict that had favored Senegal after a successful protest lodged by the Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF). The ruling determined that Senegal had violated competition regulations, leading to the forfeiture of the final match.
According to the CAF Appeal Board's statement, "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 of the Match being recorded as 3–0 in favor of the Fédération Royale Marocaine de Football.” This landmark decision was made under Article 84 of the CAF Africa Cup of Nations Regulations, effectively nullifying the earlier decision made by the CAF Disciplinary Board and granting Morocco the title it had contested.
The appeal board's ruling highlighted Senegal's misconduct, stating that the Fédération Sénégalaise de Football had breached Article 82 of the Africa Cup of Nations Regulations, thus validating the protest raised by Morocco. Alongside this major ruling, the board also addressed various disciplinary issues that had arisen during the final, including misconduct by Moroccan player Ismaël Saibari, who was found guilty of violating Articles 82 and 83(1) of the CAF Disciplinary Code. His punishment was modified to a suspension of two official matches, with one match being conditionally suspended, while the previously imposed fine of $100,000 was revoked.
Furthermore, the board scrutinized the behavior of ball boys during the match, attributing responsibility to the FRMF and subsequently reducing the fine associated with their incident to $50,000. In another related incident involving the use of lasers, the board also decided to lower the fine imposed on the Moroccan federation to $10,000. However, the appeal regarding interference in the VAR review area was rejected, maintaining the $100,000 fine imposed on the FRMF for that particular incident.
Interestingly, Morocco, which had hosted the tournament, now celebrates its AFCON 2025 victory not through the final whistle but through a ruling that marks a remarkable conclusion to one of the most contentious tournaments in the event's history. Initially, Senegal had been celebrated as the winners of the 2025 AFCON after a narrow 1-0 victory over Morocco in the final, a match that extended into extra time amid a backdrop of tension and controversy.
The final itself was marred by protests from Senegalese players and their technical staff following a disputed refereeing decision, compounded by confrontations among players, officials, and match personnel as the game drew to a close. Following the match, CAF's disciplinary board had issued penalties to both federations due to misconduct, but initially upheld the match's result despite Morocco's protest. The recent appeal decision, however, has dramatically shifted the narrative, awarding the long-contested title to Morocco.
As reported by punchng.com.
