The Confederation of African Football’s (Caf) shock decision to overturn the result of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations final and award the title to Morocco came as bombshell news late on Tuesday night.
It was reported that Morocco were declared Afcon champions by Caf and Senegal stripped of the title after an appeal over the result of the final was upheld.
The 2025 Afcon was hosted in Morocco in December and January.
Senegal were ruled to have forfeited the game in the Moroccan capital of Rabat on January 18 because they walked off the pitch in protest about a potentially decisive penalty awarded against them. They returned after 14 minutes to win the match 1-0 courtesy of a Pape Gueye goal in extra time.
Caf’s appeal board on Tuesday replaced the result with a 3-0 victory for Morocco. The decision adds a further layer of controversy to the final, where the walk-off and fighting between players and spectators had Caf conceding the image of African football had been severely tarnished.
The hugely controversial boardroom decision is unprecedented for a continental final. It has sparked intense debate globally and especially in Africa.
TimesLIVE
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