Senegal vs. Morocco: Is CAF's credibility in ruins after AFCON 2025 ruling?

For everything that the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations was, the 2025 edition fell short.

The tournament in the Ivory Coast was rip-roaring and laden with drama, culminating in the host nation ultimately winning the continent’s most coveted title for the third time when they seemed buried after the group stage.

Fifty-seven days after Senegal beat hosts Morocco in a heated, chaotic final in Rabat, the 2025 edition has reached the same outcome, albeit after a series of events that have called into question the credibility of African football at its core.

Nearly two months after Senegal secured their second title, the Lions of Teranga have had it stripped from them and awarded to Morocco, a decision that has invited incredible opprobrium.

Here, Sports Mole reacts to the ruling of the CAF Appeal Board, questioning the Board’s logic and asking how African football moves on from its latest embarrassment.

Senegal vs. Morocco: What happened?

The final between Senegal and Morocco ended in chaos following two controversial late decisions.

In stoppage time, the West African nation had an Ismaila Sarr goal disallowed because the referee had whistled for a foul by Abdoulaye Seck on Achraf Hakimi just before the ball hit the net, preventing a VAR review.

Tensions escalated when Morocco were awarded a penalty shortly afterwards for a foul on Brahim Diaz.

Senegal’s coach, Pape Thiaw, led a temporary walk-off in protest, while fans clashed with security. After a 15-minute suspension, play resumed; however, Edouard Mendy saved Diaz’s failed Panenka attempt from 12 yards.

Despite the unrest and pitch invasions, the match finished 0–0 at the end of regulation time, with Pape Gueye scoring what many observers believed — and still believe — was the goal that decided the AFCON 2025 final.

Why was the AFCON 2025 title awarded to Morocco?

In a move that sent shockwaves through African football, CAF’s Appeal Board sensationally stripped Senegal of their AFCON crown, awarding a 3-0 walkover victory to Morocco.

The crux of Tuesday’s ruling lies in Article 82 of the tournament regulations. By staging a 15-minute walk-off in protest at a stoppage-time penalty, the Teranga Lions were deemed to have refused to play, an act that carries the ultimate sporting price: forfeiture.

While Senegal eventually returned to save the penalty and win on the pitch, the Board ruled that the initial abandonment had breached the competition’s integrity beyond repair.

Senegal vs Morocco: What happens now?

The Appeal Board’s ruling rests on a legally precarious interpretation of Article 82.

While the Teranga Lions staged a 15-minute protest, AFCON regulations distinguish between the field and the ground, succinctly explained by respected African football expert Collin Udoh on X.

There are a number of points I would like to make on this CAF Appeals Committee ruling.

First, let’s clear the air on this Senegal leaving the pitch for 15 minutes argument. There is nothing in the CAF Afcon Regulations that specifically state how much time a team may be off the… pic.twitter.com/SzMYUVI6YI
— Obong Colin NOT Collins (@ColinUdoh) March 18, 2026

By remaining within the stadium, Senegal never truly left the ground, a semantic nuance the Board appear to have ignored.

Furthermore, the 3-0 walkover mandated by Article 84 requires a breach of both Articles 82 and 83, yet there is no suggestion that Senegal contravened the latter.

Perhaps most critically, IFAB’s Law 5 stipulates that a referee’s decision on the result is final once play concludes. By allowing the match to finish on the pitch, the officials effectively ratified the outcome.

Senegal will launch an immediate appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), likely arguing that a temporary delay does not equate to abandonment.

Under Patrice Motsepe, CAF’s autonomy has felt increasingly deceptive. Critics argue the presidency has devolved into a subservient arm of FIFA, with Motsepe often framed as a puppet for Gianni Infantino’s global agenda.

This perceived lack of independence, coupled with the organisational failures of an African Super League that never got off the ground and the optics of perceived Moroccan favouritism, has eroded continental trust.

There is a lingering sense that CAF have continued to pander to the North African nation, central to that being how Morocco have somewhat become the continent’s de facto home for major finals, and the sacking of Director of Refereeing Noumandiez Doue following Moroccan complaints after the WAFCON last year.

The Atlas Lions also seemed to be officiated differently during AFCON 2025, leading to irksome complaints by opponents in the lead-up to January’s final in Rabat, where Senegal voiced concerns about their treatment before a ball was kicked on January 18.

Indeed, Senegal’s walk-off in Rabat was not merely a tantrum over a penalty, but a protest against a system many believe is rigged.

Had Ndala Ngambo given the decision on the field in the final, there admittedly would have been Senegalese complaints in Rabat; however, letting play continue after the gap should have been adhered to and considered by the CAF Appeal Board.

Their failure to do so has brought avoidable negative attention on the continent’s governance and invited derisive, unflattering commentary.

African football remains a vibrant, captivating spectacle that captures the world’s imagination, but the governing body’s handling of the 2025 final has left a stain that no amount of PR can easily scrub away.