The board’s appeals committee decided that Senegal should forfeit January’s final after players left the pitch in protest of the referee’s decision.
Published March 17, 2026
African football’s governing body has stripped Senegal of the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) title they won in a chaotic final two months ago and declared Morocco champions.
In a surprise decision, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) announced on Tuesday that the appeals committee ruled that Senegal won 1-0 and the match “is declared forfeited.” The result was in favor of hosts Morocco, “officially recorded as 3-0,” the magazine said.
During the final in Rabat on January 18, Senegal’s players, led by coach Pape Thiau, walked off the pitch in the second half of regulation time to protest a penalty awarded to Morocco.
When the match resumed after a delay of approximately 15 minutes, Morocco’s forward Brahim Diaz’s penalty kick was saved. Pape Gueye scored the decisive goal in extra time and Senegal became African champions for the second time.
The heated final saw supporters try to storm the field, players scuffle on the sidelines, reporters from both countries scuffled in the media area and a bizarre scene in which a Moroccan ballboy tried to distract Senegalese goalkeeper Edouard Mendy and steal the towel he was using in an apparent bid to help his team win the continental title.
CAF fined Senegal and Morocco players and officials more than $1 million and suspended them at a disciplinary hearing in January, but the results were left untouched.
The case could be further appealed at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
