In a surprising turn of events, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has announced the revocation of Senegal's title as champions of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON). This decision follows Senegal's controversial exit from the final match held on January 18 in Rabat, where they initially triumphed over Morocco with a score of 1-0. The title was stripped due to the Senegalese players' protest when a penalty was awarded to Morocco during the later stages of the match.
Morocco's newly appointed head coach, Mohamed Ouahbi, expressed his congratulations to the Moroccan nation on Thursday, praising CAF's ruling as a "well-deserved" outcome. Speaking at the announcement of his first squad for upcoming friendly matches against Ecuador and Paraguay, Ouahbi emphasized the importance of the decision, stating, "First of all, I would like to congratulate all Moroccans, the staff, the players, and the federation on the good news we got two days ago, which is well-deserved." The coach took over the reins from Walid Regragui earlier this month, in part due to Regragui's inability to secure the AFCON title.
Despite the triumphant news for Morocco, the Senegalese Football Federation has expressed its discontent with the decision, branding it as "unjust." They have announced plans to engage legal representation to appeal this ruling before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). This dramatic shift in championship titles highlights the ongoing tensions in African football, particularly following the CAF disciplinary committee's earlier sanctions that imposed substantial fines on both nations for unsportsmanlike conduct.
The CAF's announcement was received positively by the Moroccan football federation, which commended the governing body for its commitment to upholding the rules of the sport. Morocco, which previously performed admirably under Regragui by reaching the semi-finals of the 2022 World Cup, is now set to compete in Group C of this year's tournament alongside formidable opponents Brazil, Scotland, and Haiti. As Ouahbi remarked, while the past has been addressed, the focus must now shift to building a competitive team for the future, particularly with the World Cup on the horizon.
As reported by channelstv.com.
