The Government of Senegal has rejected a decision by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to revoke its 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) title and award it to Morocco, describing the move as unfair and against football rules.
In a statement released on March 18, government spokesperson Marie Rose Khady Fatou Faye said the final match was played to the end and won fairly on the pitch.
“The result was decided on the field of play,” she said.The government warned that changing the outcome after a completed match risks damaging trust in African football.
It has since called for an independent investigation into the matter and says it is ready to challenge the decision through international legal channels.South Africa’s Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) has also criticised CAF’s ruling.
In a statement, the party said it was wrong to overturn a result after a match had been completed.
The EFF argued that, under football rules, only the referee has the authority to stop or suspend a match, and in this case, the referee allowed play to continue until the final whistle.
According to the EFF, Morocco continued to take part in the match, including a penalty, and the game ended normally with Senegal winning. The party warned that changing such results could set a bad precedent for football in Africa.
The EFF also raised concerns about what it described as Morocco’s growing influence in African football and alleged that some teams faced logistical challenges during the tournament, including accommodation and transport difficulties, as well as incidents at match venues.
However, these claims have not been independently verified.
CAF had not issued a detailed public response to the concerns at the time of publication, and Moroccan authorities had not commented on the matter.
Meanwhile, AFCON victory had brought nationwide celebrations, and some fans now fear losing a moment of national pride.
Article 82 of AFCON’s regulations states that if a team refuses to play or leaves the ground before the end of regulation time without the referee’s authorisation, it will be considered the loser and eliminated from the competition.
Under Article 84 any team that violates Article 82 will be permanently eliminated and lose the match 3-0.The result is an outcome of an appeal made by Morocco’s football federation.
