Senegal have been sensationally stripped of their Africa Cup of Nations title after the Confederation of African Football (Caf) ruled that they forfeited the final against Morocco. The match, held in Rabat in January, had ended 1-0 to Senegal after extra time, but Caf's appeal board decided on Tuesday to award Morocco a 3-0 win.
The decision stems from an incident during the final when Senegal's head coach, Pape Thiaw, and several players walked off the pitch for 15 minutes in protest at a penalty awarded to Morocco. They eventually returned after captain Sadio Mané implored them to continue, with Brahim Díaz's spot-kick saved and Pape Gueye scoring the winner in extra time.
Caf's statement confirmed: 'The Senegal national team is declared to have forfeited the final match of the Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025, with the result of the match being recorded as 3–0 in favour of the Fédération Royale Marocaine de Football.' Senegal are expected to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Lyon defender Moussa Niakhaté, who played in the final, appeared to criticise the ruling on Instagram, posting a picture of him holding the trophy with the caption: 'Come and get them. They are crazy.' Almost a million supporters had lined the streets of Dakar to celebrate Senegal's second Afcon title.
The Moroccan football federation welcomed the decision, stating: 'The federation wishes to recall that its approach has never been intended to challenge the sporting performance of the teams... but solely to request the application of the competition’s regulations.'
