The Senegalese Football Federation has rejected CAF’s decision to award Morocco the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations title and confirmed it will appeal to the court of arbitration for Sport.
CAF on Tuesday declared Morocco champions after overturning the original result of the final against Senegal, ruling that the Senegalese side forfeited the match following a walk-off during the game in Rabat on January 19.
According to CAF, “the Senegal national team is declared to have forfeited the final match with the result recorded as 3–0 in favour of the Fédération Royale Marocaine de Football.”
The decision followed a protest by Morocco after chaotic scenes late in the final, when Senegal players briefly left the pitch after a disallowed goal and a penalty awarded to the hosts an action deemed to fall under Articles 82 and 84 of the competition regulations on misconduct and forfeiture.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Senegalese federation said, “the Senegalese Football Federation has today taken note of the notification of the decision rendered on March 17, 2026 by the appeals committee of the Confederation of African Football, in the context of case DC23316.”
The body noted that the appeal board admitted the protest filed by the Fédération Royale Marocaine de Football and overturned the earlier ruling of the CAF Disciplinary Board due to a procedural flaw.
“With this decision, the CAF Appeals Board declared the appeal of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation admissible and accepted it. In doing so, the board overturned the decision rendered by the CAF Disciplinary Board, on the grounds that the appellant’s right to be heard had not been respected during the initial proceedings,” the FSF said.
It added that the appeal committee ruled Senegal’s conduct breached Articles 82 and 84, leading to the forfeiture decision.
Reacting, the federation described the ruling as damaging to the integrity of the sport, stating, “the Senegalese football federation denounces an unfair, unprecedented and unacceptable decision that discredits African football.”
It added that it remains committed to due process and transparency.
