Senegal demands corruption probe after caf strips its can 2025 title

Media outlets across Europe and Africa have reacted with disbelief, using phrases like “This isn’t April Fools’” and “The joke of the century” to describe the Confederation of African Football’s (CAF) decision. Two months after a tumultuous final, the CAF appeals jury has stripped Sénégal of its hard-won title, awarding it instead to Maroc. A statement released Tuesday confirmed the ruling, announcing the decision to “declare the Senegalese national team forfeited during the final,” with the result officially recorded as a 3-0 victory for Maroc.

In response, the Senegalese federation confirmed it would appeal, and on Wednesday, the government escalated the matter by demanding an international inquiry into “suspicions of corruption within the governing bodies of CAF.” Marie Rose Khady Fatou Faye, a spokesperson for the executive branch, stated, “Sénégal unequivocally rejects this unjustified attempt at dispossession.”

Citing Articles 82 and 84 of the Africa Cup of Nations Regulations

Furthermore, the Senegalese federation condemned what it termed “an iniquitous, unprecedented, and unacceptable decision that casts discredit on African football.” It announced its intention to initiate “an appeal procedure before the Court of Arbitration for Sport” in Lausanne, Switzerland, “as soon as possible.”

Speaking to the Senegalese newspaper Le Soleil, FSF Secretary General Abdoulaye Sow vowed not to surrender the trophy to Maroc. “CAF is rotten, and the global reactions to this decision confirm total indignation… The FSF president is in discussion with all concerned parties. The fight is far from over. I want to reassure all Senegalese. Sénégal has right and victory on its side. The cup will not leave the country.”

The controversy stems from events on January 18, during additional time in the second half of a tense final. With the score still level, Maroc was awarded a penalty for a contentious foul by Diouf on Brahim Diaz. This decision infuriated the Senegalese players, who argued that a clear penalty in their favor had been overlooked moments earlier.

In the ensuing chaos, their coach, Pape Thiaw, instructed his players to leave the pitch at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat. Amid general confusion and scuffles in the stands, where Senegalese supporters threw projectiles and attempted to invade the field, only Sadio Mané remained on the grass. After a 15-minute halt, play resumed. Brahim Diaz stepped up but botched his penalty attempt with a failed Panenka. Later, Pape Gueye scored with a magnificent left-footed strike, securing what was thought to be the championship for Sénégal.

Nearly two months of silence followed, until the bombshell announcement that reversed Sénégal’s on-field victory into an off-field defeat.

On Tuesday evening, the CAF convened and decided to declare the Senegalese national team forfeited. “The CAF appeal jury, in application of Article 84 of the CAN regulations, declares the national team of Sénégal forfeited during the final of CAN 2025, with the result being homologated with a score of 3-0 in favor of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation.”

Article 84, which details the sanction, is linked to the offense described in Article 82, stating that “if, for any reason, a team leaves the field of play before the regulatory end of the match without the authorization of the referee, it will be considered the loser and will be definitively eliminated from the current competition.”

The Wydad Casablanca Precedent

In a statement, the Moroccan football federation acknowledged the decision in favor of the Atlas Lions, clarifying that its “approach was never intended to contest the sporting performance of the teams involved in this competition, but only to request the application of the competition’s regulations.”

A source close to the Moroccan Federation pointed out to AFP that a precedent exists in another African competition. In 2019, Espérance Sportive de Tunis was declared the winner of the CAF Champions League three months after Wydad Casablanca players walked off the pitch during the final to protest a VAR malfunction.

In late January, the disciplinary jury of the CAF, without altering the match’s final score at the time, had imposed a series of disciplinary sanctions, including fines of several hundred thousand euros, on both nations’ federations for unsportsmanlike conduct and violations of fair play principles. Additionally, the appeal trial for 18 Senegalese supporters, imprisoned since the final and sentenced to terms ranging from three months to one year for “hooliganism,” which was scheduled for Monday, has been postponed to March 30.