In the controversial final in Rabat, Morocco and Real Madrid forward Brahim Diaz missed a Panenka penalty to secure victory in the 114th minute, but the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) immediately lodged a protest with Caf and FIFA, saying Senegal’s departure from the pitch “had a significant impact on the normal course of the game and on the players’ morale.”
Caf’s disciplinary committee initially rejected the appeal and instead imposed sanctions on both sides, including a five-game ban for Senegal coach Pape Thiaw on January 29.
The FRMF said these original penalties did not “reflect the seriousness of the incident” and Caf’s appeal committee agreed, issuing a statement on March 17 saying Senegal had breached articles 82 and 84 of the competition rules.
Article 82 states that “a team that leaves the field before the end of the regular game without permission from the referee is disqualified.”
Senegal’s government called for an investigation into ‘suspected corruption’ at Caf, but this was rejected by governing body president Patrice Motsepe, who was at pains to point out the independence of the appeal committee.
“It is important that the decisions of our Caf Disciplinary Committee and Caf Appeal Committee are reviewed with respect and integrity,” he said.
The final decision on who will win the 2025 Afcon title now rests with Cas, the sport’s highest authority.
“To carry out this moral and legal crusade, we have appointed a team of seasoned professionals with undeniable expertise,” Fall said in a statement from Paris alongside members of the FSF legal team.
One of them, lawyer Seydou Diagne, called the decision to strip Senegal of its title “too blatant, too absurd and too irrational.”
He added: “The decision of the appellate jury cannot even be considered a true decision on sports justice.”
“This is an unacceptable and unacceptable attack on the fundamental rights of our football federation.”
Fellow lawyer Juan Perez said: “It’s unprecedented to have a match where the result was decided by the referee and now it’s administratively re-referred to. I’ve never seen anything like this. It could change the world of football.”
Caf recently updated its Afcon 2025 review on its website to list Morocco as the winner, but that page now appears to have been removed.
The fight to be crowned African champions is far from over, with Senegal refusing to give up the trophy and using Saturday’s scheduled parade as a sign of contempt.
