Senegal demands corruption probe after CAF strips its AFCON 2025 title

The Senegalese government has issued a swift and strong response after the Confederation of African Football’s (CAF) Appeals Jury declared Senegal had forfeited the final of the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025, thereby awarding the trophy to Morocco.

In a communiqué released on Wednesday, the government labeled the ruling as an “unprecedented decision of exceptional gravity,” stating that it “frontally assaults the cardinal principles that form the basis of sporting ethics, chief among them being equity, loyalty, and respect for the truth of the field.”

Unambiguously rejecting what it calls an “unjustified dispossession attempt,” the government has called for an independent international investigation into “suspicions of corruption within the governing bodies of CAF.”

While confirming its commitment to resolving the situation for Senegalese supporters detained in Morocco following incidents during the January 18 final, the government stressed it will remain vigilant and unyielding “in defending the rights of the Senegalese national team and restoring the honor of African sport.” This development has become a major topic in Africa news and for the Panafrican press.

The CAF Decision

Morocco was proclaimed the winner of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations after the CAF overturned the final’s result following Senegal’s controversial walk-off.

Senegal had originally defeated Morocco 1-0 in the final on January 18, in a match defined by the Senegalese players’ refusal to continue playing after a penalty was awarded against them in stoppage time while the score was 0-0.

After a delay of approximately 17 minutes, the players eventually returned to the pitch. The subsequent penalty by Brahim Diaz was saved before Pape Gueye scored the winning goal in extra time.

However, that outcome has now been voided by a decision from the appeals committee of African football’s governing body.

A CAF statement confirmed that Senegal was “declared to have forfeited the final” and that the “match result was recorded as 3-0 in favor” of Morocco. The Senegalese Football Federation has declared its intent to appeal the CAF’s ruling at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (TAS), describing it as an “unjust, unprecedented, and unacceptable decision that brings discredit upon African football.”

This ruling stemmed from an appeal by the Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF), which CAF deemed “admissible in form” and subsequently accepted.

CAF added that Senegal, “through its team’s behavior,” violated Article 82 of the Africa Cup of Nations regulations, which triggered the application of Article 84.

Article 82 specifies that if a team refuses to play or leaves the pitch before the end of regulation time without the referee’s authorization, it will be declared the loser and eliminated from the competition.

Article 84 further clarifies this by stating that any team breaching Article 82 is definitively eliminated and loses the match by a score of 3-0. In its own statement, the FRMF asserted that its decision to appeal the final result was “never intended to question the sporting performance of the teams” but was a request for the “application of the competition’s regulations.”

“The federation reaffirms its commitment to respecting the rules, ensuring the clarity of the competitive framework, and maintaining the stability of African competitions,” the FRMF added.

Earlier, a video on the Senegal men’s national team’s X account showed players celebrating their victory during a bus parade, holding the AFCON trophy aloft.

North African sports journalist Maher Mezahi told BBC Radio 5 Live that the decision to annul the result will not change the emotions of those who witnessed the match. “You can’t erase the last 16 minutes of that game and what we saw,” he said. “You can’t erase the emotion of seeing Senegal lift the trophy, the players going home with the medal and having a parade.”

What Happened During the AFCON Final?

With the score at 0-0, referee Jean-Jacques Ndala awarded a penalty in the eighth minute of stoppage time.

Ndala was advised by the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) to review the monitor for a challenge by defender El Hadji Malick Diouf on Diaz.

Senegal’s coach, Pape Thiaw, still incensed by Ndala’s earlier decision to disallow a goal by Ismaïla Sarr, ordered his team off the field.

Former Liverpool forward Sadio Mané remained on the pitch, trying to persuade his Senegalese teammates to finish the game.

After a 17-minute stoppage, the Senegalese players finally returned to the field.

Real Madrid forward Diaz took the penalty, but his weak ‘panenka’ attempt was easily caught by Senegal’s goalkeeper Édouard Mendy, after which Ndala immediately blew the final whistle.

Villarreal midfielder Gueye then scored the winning goal in the fourth minute of extra time, securing what was thought to be Senegal’s second title in five years.

In his post-match press conference, Morocco’s coach, Walid Regragui, called Senegal’s actions “shameful” and stated they did not “bring honor to Africa.”

FIFA President Gianni Infantino strongly condemned the “deplorable scenes” in an Instagram post.

Thiaw’s press conference was cancelled following an altercation in the press room.

However, in a post-match interview, he admitted he should not have ordered his team to leave the pitch and offered his “apologies to football.”

Morocco later parted ways with their coach, Walid Regragui, on March 5, four months before the World Cup finals.