- Morocco have been awarded the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) trophy after a successful appeal at the CAF Appeals Board
- The Atlas Lions took part in the most controversial final of the modern era, which Senegal won after initially refusing to play
- The Appeal Board announced that the Teranga Lions were deemed to have forfeited the match when they left
Morocco have been announced as the winners of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON)
Source: Getty Images
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) Appeals Board made the landmark decision on Tuesday night, stripping Senegal of their victory two months ago.
The board accepted Morocco’s appeal, which sought to overturn Senegal’s victory on the grounds that the West Africans had left the field and thus lost the match.
The board agreed to Morocco’s request, citing Article 84 of the CAF rules and giving Morocco a 3-0 win.
“The Board of Appeal has decided today that using Article 84 of the CAF Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) Regulations, the Senegalese National Team has been declared to have lost the Final Match of the TotalEnergies CAF (AFCON) Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025 (the “Match”), with the result of the Match being recorded as 3-0 in favor of the Fédération Royale Marocaine de Football (FRMF),” part of the CAF statement read.
What happened at the AFCON 2025 final?
The final of AFCON 2025 was shrouded in great controversy after Senegal left the field towards the end of the game.
Senegal were upset after Morocco was awarded a late penalty.
El Hadji Malick Diouf brought down Brahim Diaz in the penalty area at half time.
Referee Jean-Jacques Ndala was asked to review the decision of the sideline monitor and award a penalty.
The Teranga Lions refused to let the penalty go, questioning why their goal at the start of the break had been disallowed.
The team led by Sadio Mane thought they had scored the winning goal, but the referee gave Morocco a free kick for Abdoulaye Seck’s foul on Achraf Hakimi.
Senegal’s head coach, Pape Thiaw, asked his players to leave the field, but it took Mane to intervene for them to return.
After more than 15 minutes, Morocco finally got the penalty, which Brahm Diaz missed after a brave chip.
The AFCON 2021 champions won the game in extra time. Thanks to a strike from Pape Gueye
Morocco’s initial appeal was rejected before being transferred to the Board of Appeal, where Senegal’s win was overturned
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