Senegal to appeal decision to award AFCON title to Morocco | Africa Cup of Nations News

Morocco was awarded the 2025 AFCON title after appealing to CAF over Senegal’s walk-off protest at the final.

Senegal has condemned the decision to scrap the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) title, labeling it “unfair, unprecedented and unacceptable” and saying it casts a shadow over African football.

“The Senegalese Football Federation condemns this unjust, unprecedented and unacceptable decision, which casts a shadow over African football,” it said in a statement on Wednesday.

“To protect its rights and the interests of Senegalese football, the federation will initiate an appeal as soon as possible before the Court of Arbitration in Lausanne,” it said.

Morocco were declared African champions on Tuesday after the Confederation of African Football’s (CAF’s) appeals board upheld their protest and Senegal’s walk-off protest in the final on January 18 that led to their disqualification and the match result was declared 3-0 in favor of the hosts.

Senegal won the final 1-0 in Rabat with an extra-time goal, but not before a 14-minute walk-off after a penalty was awarded against them in 90 minutes of stoppage time.

The protest was prompted by coach Papa Bouna Thiau, who subsequently handed out a lengthy ban, and Senegal’s veteran striker Sadio Mane emerged as the captain as he tried to get his teammates back on the field.

After Senegal returned to the pitch, the referee allowed play to continue with Morocco wasting a last-gasp penalty, and the encounter then went to extra time, with midfielder Pepe Gueye scoring the winner in the 94th minute.

However, the appeals board ruled that by walking out, Senegal had breached tournament rules and abandoned the game.

In 2019, the Swiss-based Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) had to intervene when Moroccan club Wydad Casablanca protested against VAR in the second leg of the African Champions League final.

On that occasion, they refused to play, and the referee declared the opponents Esperance the winners, but CAF’s executive committee surprisingly ordered a replay. Esperance took the matter to CAS and were declared champions, with CAF embarrassingly condemning it for trying to override the referee’s decision.

Congolese referee Jean-Jacques Nadala’s decision to go ahead with the AFCON final in January, instead of calling it off and declaring Morocco the winner after Senegal’s walk-off, appears strongly in any arguments to reinstate Senegal as champions.

The rules of the game state that the referee’s decision is final.

Veteran coach Claude Le Roy, who managed Senegal between 1988 and 1992, said: “No one would have predicted such a statement two months after the final.

“For years, CAF violated all refereeing decisions,” he said on French television.