The appeal jury of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has withdrawn the title won by Senegal at the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON 2025) on January 18 and declared Morocco the winner.

CAF’s appeal jury decided “to declare the Senegal national team forfeited during the final,” which Senegal had won 1-0, “with the result recorded as a 3-0 victory” for Morocco, according to the official statement.

Several Senegalese players had temporarily left the pitch during the final in protest of a refereeing decision.

Morocco’s Appeal Considered “Well-Founded”

The CAF appeal jury ruled that the appeal submitted by the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) was “formally admissible and well-founded” and that “the decision of the CAF disciplinary jury is annulled.”

It concluded that Senegal’s behavior “falls within the scope of Articles 82 and 84” of the AFCON regulations and that “the claim submitted by the FRMF is upheld.” As a result, the Senegalese Football Federation (FSF) “violated Article 82 of the AFCON regulations,” and Senegal’s team is declared forfeited, with the match officially recorded as a 3-0 win for Morocco.

This decision is not final and can still be appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) within ten days.

Reaction from the Moroccan Federation

The Moroccan Football Federation stated that it “takes note” of the decision. In a press release, it emphasized that its action “was never intended to contest the sporting performance” but “solely to request enforcement of the competition regulations.” As of the time of writing, the Senegalese Football Federation had not yet responded.

In late January, CAF had imposed several disciplinary sanctions, including fines totaling several hundred thousand euros, on the federations of both countries for unsportsmanlike behavior and violations of fair play principles.

The appeal trial of 18 Senegalese supporters, imprisoned since the final and sentenced to prison terms ranging from three months to one year for “hooliganism,” originally scheduled for Monday, has been postponed to March 30.