The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has officially confirmed Morocco as the champions of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations. This recognition comes after a contentious decision overturned the original outcome of the final match.
Current information on the CAF website reflects Morocco as the tournament winners, with Senegal as the runners-up and Nigeria finishing in third place.
This update follows a ruling made on March 18 by CAF's Appeals Board, which annulled the results of the January 18 final held in Rabat.
Initially, Senegal had claimed victory with a 1-0 score during extra time, netting a goal from Pape Gueye. However, this win was marred by controversy as the Senegalese team had initially walked off the pitch in protest during the original 90 minutes.
The protest was a reaction to two critical decisions: the disallowance of a goal by Ismaila Sarr, and Morocco being awarded a penalty due to VAR intervention just before the end of regular time.
Senegal's coach, Pape Thiaw, seems to have encouraged his players to leave the field, leading them down the tunnel before they returned about 15 minutes later. After a missed penalty by Morocco's Brahim Diaz, the game proceeded into extra time.
The Appeals Board of CAF concluded that Senegal’s actions constituted a forfeit according to the tournament rules, ultimately registering the final as a 3-0 victory for Morocco and marking their second title in the competition’s history.
CAF has stated that the ruling was crucial to upholding the integrity of its regulations. However, this decision has sparked discussions among fans and analysts, with many questioning the validity of administrative overrides on field results.
In response to this ruling, the Senegalese football federation has expressed its intention to challenge the decision at the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, Switzerland.
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