Administrative decision annulled Senegal’s victory on the field, applied WO and redefined the champion of the 2025 African Cup of Nations
A African Football Confederation officialized a change in the outcome of the of Nations by annulling the result of the final played in Rabat and declaring the Moroccan national football team as champion. The decision was taken by the entity’s Appeals Council about two months after the match and established a 3-0 defeat by WO for Senegal, reversing the original score, which had been 1-0 for the Senegalese in extra time.
The change occurred after an appeal presented by the Royal Moroccan Football Federation, accepted based on the competition regulations. The body considered that the Senegalese team violated Article 82 by leaving the field without authorization from the referee, which resulted in the application of Article 84, which provides for automatic defeat by forfeit.
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With the new definition, Morocco reached its second continental title, repeating the 1976 achievement, while Senegal remains with the trophy obtained in 2021.
In an official statement, the organization detailed the decision: “The Appeals Council of the African Football Confederation decided today that, in application of Article 84 of the African Cup of Nations (CAN) Regulations, the Senegal National Team lost the final match of the African Cup of Nations by WO, with the result of the match being recorded as 3–0 in favor of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation.”
Episode on the field led to punishment
The move that caused the controversy occurred in the 52nd minute of the second half, when the game was still tied without goals. After reviewing the VAR, the referee awarded a penalty to Morocco in a play involving Brahim Diaz. In reaction, the technician Pope Thiaw instructed his players to leave the field in protest.
The interruption lasted about ten minutes. After the return, Brahim Díaz himself took the penalty with a dig, saved by the goalkeeper Edouard Mendy. The match continued until extra time, when Pope Gueye scored the goal that, at that moment, guaranteed the title for the Senegalese.
Sanctions and damages recorded
Before the final decision on the title, CAF had already applied disciplinary and financial punishments as a result of incidents recorded in the final, held at Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium. Damage to the stadium was estimated at more than R$450,000. The Senegalese federation was fined more than 500 thousand euros, while the Moroccan federation received a sanction of more than 250 thousand euros.
Furthermore, coach Pape Thiaw was suspended for five matches for inciting the abandonment of the field, a central element in the reevaluation of the result by the entity’s highest authority.
Mané’s intervention marked the return to the game
During the episode, the attacker Sadio Mane He remained on the field initially and then went to the locker room to convince his teammates to resume the match. In a later statement, he described the situation.
“When they decided to leave and not play, I stayed and asked a few people, “What do you guys think about this? Is it a good idea or not?” So I decided to get everyone back on the field. I think it’s the best thing to do. Because this is just football, I think the referee can sometimes make mistakes. People from all over the world are watching. It could be a penalty or not, but that’s not the most important thing. What matters is respecting the game. It’s not fair to interrupt a match like that”, reported the athlete.
With the administrative decision, the sporting result was officially changed, ending the process and redefining the champion of the African national team competition.
