Afcon final result reversed as Morocco declared new champions following Senegal chaos
Morocco has been declared the champion of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations following a ruling by the CAF Appeal Board that Senegal forfeited the tournament final.
The continental football governing body’s appeals panel determined that the Senegalese national team’s actions during the showpiece match breached tournament regulations, resulting in the fixture being awarded 3-0 to the host nation.
The decision was made under Article 84 of the Afcon regulations, which governs match forfeiture procedures.
The Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) had lodged an appeal, which the board deemed admissible and subsequently upheld, overturning an earlier CAF Disciplinary Board ruling.
The appeals panel found that the Senegalese Football Federation’s team had violated Article 82 of the Africa Cup of Nations regulations through their conduct during the final.
In its ruling, the board upheld the FRMF’s protest and found that Senegal’s behaviour fell within the scope of both Articles 82 and 84 of the competition rules.
The appeals panel set aside the CAF Disciplinary Board’s original decision in its entirety.
All other requests for relief brought before the board were dismissed, with the forfeiture ruling standing as the definitive outcome of the continental championship final.
Morocco has been declared the champion of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations following a ruling by the CAF Appeal Board that Senegal forfeited the tournament final
|
GETTY
The appeals board also addressed several other matters arising from the final, including sanctions against Moroccan midfielder Ismaël Saibari.
The player’s punishment for misconduct was reduced to a two-match ban from official CAF fixtures, with one of those matches suspended, while a $100,000 fine against him was removed entirely.
Regarding incidents involving the host federation, the FRMF saw its penalty for ball boy conduct during the match lowered to $50,000, whilst the fine relating to laser pointer use was cut to $10,000.
However, a $100,000 sanction for interference near the VAR review area was upheld in full.
