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The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has delivered a landmark and highly controversial ruling, declaring that Senegal forfeited the final of the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) Morocco 2025.
As a result, the match has been officially recorded as a 3-0 victory for hosts Morocco, crowning them continental champions.
In a detailed media statement released on Tuesday, the CAF Appeal Board upheld a protest filed by the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) and overturned an earlier decision by the CAF Disciplinary Board. The board ruled that the conduct of the Senegal national team during the final fell squarely within the scope of Articles 82 and 84 of the AFCON Regulations.
Understanding the Key Regulations
Article 82 of the AFCON Regulations generally addresses unsporting behaviour, misconduct by teams, players, officials or supporters, and actions that bring the competition into disrepute. This can include refusing to play, walking off the pitch without referee authorisation, or other serious breaches of fair play.
Article 84 specifically deals with the consequences of such violations. It empowers CAF to declare a team to have forfeited a match when serious misconduct occurs.
In cases of forfeiture, the opposing team is typically awarded a default 3-0 victory, and the offending team may face additional sanctions such as fines, point deductions, or bans from future competitions.
The Appeal Board found that Senegal’s actions during the final – widely reported to include walking off the pitch in protest – constituted a breach serious enough to trigger forfeiture under these articles. The ruling effectively strips Senegal of what would have been their second AFCON title.
Additional Rulings
The board also issued decisions on related matters from the final:
Morocco player Ismaël Saibari was found to have committed misconduct. His sanction was amended to a two-match suspension (one suspended) with the original USD 100,000 fine set aside.
For the ball boys incident, Morocco’s responsibility was confirmed, but the fine was reduced to USD 50,000.
The USD 100,000 fine on Morocco for interference around the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) review area was upheld.The fine related to a laser incident was reduced to USD 10,000.
All other requests were dismissed.
What Options Does Senegal Have Now?
The CAF Appeal Board’s decision is final and binding under CAF statutes. Senegal has no further right of appeal within the CAF system. Their only remaining avenue would be to challenge the ruling at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Switzerland, provided they can demonstrate a violation of natural justice, procedural unfairness, or a breach of FIFA/CAF regulations.
However, CAS appeals in such disciplinary matters are difficult to win and can be costly and time-consuming. There is no automatic suspension of the ruling while an appeal is pending unless CAS grants one.