Morocco has been officially crowned champions of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations after CAF’s Appeals Committee annulled the final’s result against Senegal. The decision followed dramatic scenes in Rabat where Senegal’s players walked off the pitch in protest, resulting in a 3-0 administrative victory for the hosts.
the decision that changed the outcome
The CAF Appeals Committee ruled that Senegal’s early departure from the field violated tournament regulations. Article 82 and 84 of the CAF Nations Cup regulations were cited as grounds for the decision, which stripped Senegal of what would have been their second continental title.
The controversy began when Morocco’s Brahim Diaz collapsed in the penalty area during added time. After VAR review, a penalty was awarded to Morocco despite initial hesitation from the referee. This decision provoked outrage from the Senegalese bench, with coach Pape Thiaw instructing his players to return to the locker rooms in protest, a move that lasted several minutes.
The committee concluded that “the behavior of the Senegalese team constitutes a violation of Articles 82 and 84 of the CAF Nations Cup Regulations.” The administrative 3-0 scoreline cancels the previous disciplinary commission’s ruling and upholds Morocco’s appeal in full.
CAF’s official statement
The Appeals Committee declared: “The Royal Moroccan Football Federation’s appeal is deemed admissible in form and is upheld.” This means:
- The disciplinary commission’s decision is annulled
- Senegal is declared in breach of Article 82
- Morocco is awarded a 3-0 victory by forfeit
- All other claims or requests for reparations are dismissed
the chaos that defined the final
While most players followed coach Thiaw toward the locker rooms, Sadio Mané managed to convince them to return and finish the match. Mané later stated: “When they decided to leave, I stayed and asked others: ‘What do you think? Is this a good idea?’ Then I went to bring everyone back. I believe it was the right call. After all, it’s just football. The referee can sometimes make mistakes. The world was watching. It might have been a penalty or not, but that wasn’t the point. What matters is respecting the game. It’s not fair to stop a match like this.”
The players returned, and Diaz’s Panenka penalty attempt was saved by the goalkeeper. With the score still 0-0, the match went into extra time where Papa Gueye scored to give Senegal the lead. Ultimately, the administrative decision overshadowed the on-field action.
financial penalties for both federations
While Morocco was declared the winner, the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) wasn’t spared financial sanctions. The Appeals Committee upheld a $100,000 fine for interference with the VAR review process after officials were obstructed during a tense second-half review.
Additional fines were slightly reduced: the laser incident fine was lowered to $10,000, and the ball boy incident penalty was halved to $50,000. Despite these setbacks, Morocco’s historic achievement stands as the major takeaway from this unprecedented tournament finale.
