Drama Unfolds As CAF Strips Senegal of AFCON 2025 Title, Morocco Declared Champions
- The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has made a new decision about the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations final held in January
- The African football governing body has decided to declare the Atlas Lions of Morocco the winners of the competition ahead of the initial winners, Senegal
- CAF has released an official statement to confirm the reason behind their decision and also explain the fines handed out to players
Controversy unfolded as the Confederation of African Football (CAF) crowned Morocco the winners of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations following a decisive ruling on Tuesday, March 17, 2026, which nullified Senegal’s 1-0 triumph in the final.
Source: Getty Images
The Teranga Lions of Senegal had initially secured victory through Pape Gueye’s extra-time strike at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium, Rabat, on Sunday, January 18, 2026.
Still, the result was overshadowed by controversy after the 2021 AFCON champions temporarily left the pitch in protest during regular time.
What happened in the AFCON 2025 final
Senegal players walked off the pitch to show their frustration over two key refereeing calls: a disallowed goal by Ismaila Sarr and a late penalty awarded to Morocco after a VAR review, a decision that was explained by a former FIFA referee.
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Bafana Bafana of South Africa also experienced their fair share of VAR decisions in the competition, and it was majorly in their second group game against Egypt.
The Senegal national team head coach, Pape Thiaw, was seen encouraging his players to walk off, which led to a brief suspension of the final as the team retreated to the tunnel, only to return roughly 15 minutes later after Sadio Mane intervened.
The match resumed, and Morocco’s Brahim Diaz failed to convert the penalty after his panenka attempt was guessed correctly by Edouard Mendy, and the game went into extra time.
Source: Getty Images
Gueye made Morocco pay for Diaz's penalty miss as he struck in the first half of the extra time to give Senegal the deserved win over the Atlas Lions.
CAF declares Morocco AFCON 2025 winners
However, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) later ruled that Senegal’s actions constituted a forfeiture, ultimately awarding the title to Morocco.
CAF released an official statement on its website confirming that Morocco’s football federation filed a formal appeal after the match, with its appeals panel ultimately awarding the Atlas Lions a 3-0 win over the Teranga Lions.
The CAF appeal team's Tuesday ruling means the Atlas Lions have secured their second AFCON title, marking their first win since winning the competition in 1976.
CAF further noted that the $100,000 (£75,000) fine initially imposed on Moroccan forward Ismael Saibari over alleged unsporting conduct has been overturned. At the same time, his suspension has been reduced from three games to two.
The African football governing body also addressed the incidents involving ball boys, who were accused of attempting to take towels from Senegal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy in the final.
While CAF held Morocco accountable for the actions of their ball boys, it reduced the federation’s fine to $50,000.
However, a separate $100,000 penalty for misconduct related to crowding the VAR review area remains in place.
VAR expert gives verdict on penalty calls
Briefly News also reported that a former FIFA referee and VAR instructor shared details about the penalty incidents in South Africa's defeat against Egypt.
The former FIFA referee explained the rules in a post on his official social media account after the match.
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Proofreading by Kelly Lippke, copy editor at Briefly.co.za.
Source: Briefly News
