Senegal has rejected the decision of the Confederation of African Football Appeal Board awarding the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) title to Morocco and confirmed it will challenge the ruling at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Morocco was on Tuesday crowned champion of the 2025 AFCON after the Confederation of African Football Appeal Board overturned the result of the final against Senegal, ruling that the West African side forfeited the match following a walk-off during the game in Rabat on January 19.
CAF stated that “the Senegal national team is declared to have forfeited the final match of the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025, with the result recorded as 3–0 in favor of the Fédération Royale Marocaine de Football.”
The CAF decision came after Morocco filed a protest regarding chaotic scenes late in the final, during which Senegal players briefly left the pitch following a disallowed goal and a penalty awarded to the hosts; the appeal board ruled that this action violated Articles 82 and 84 of the competition regulations concerning misconduct and forfeiture.
In a statement on Wednesday, the Fédération Sénégalaise de Football stated that it had taken note of the judgment made by CAF’s Appeal Committee in case DC23316, which followed a complaint filed during match 52 of the TotalEnergies AFCON Morocco 2025 final between Senegal and Morocco.
“The Senegalese Football Federation has today taken note of the notification of the decision rendered on March 17, 2026, by the Appeals Committee of the Confederation of African Football, in the context of case DC23316,” the statement read.
According to the federation, the appeal board accepted the Fédération Royale Marocaine de Football’s protest and overturned the CAF Disciplinary Board’s previous ruling, citing a procedural fault in the initial hearing.
“With this decision, the CAF Appeals Board declared the appeal of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation admissible and accepted it.
“In doing so, the board overturned the decision rendered by the CAF Disciplinary Board, on the grounds that the appellant’s right to be heard had not been respected during the initial proceedings,” the FSF said.
According to the announcement, the appeal committee determined that the Senegal national team’s conduct violated Articles 82 and 84 of the Africa Cup of Nations regulations, resulting in the forfeiture judgment.
“The Appeals Committee also determined that the conduct of the Senegalese team fell under Articles 82 and 84 of the Africa Cup of Nations Regulations.
“Consequently, CAF declared that the FSF had violated Article 82 and awarded the match by forfeit, with a recorded score of 3–0 in favor of the FRMF, in accordance with Article 84,” the federation stated.
Reacting to the verdict, the Senegalese federation criticized the decision, describing it as damaging to the credibility of African football.
“The Senegalese Football Federation denounces an unfair, unprecedented, and unacceptable decision that discredits African football,” the statement added.
The Senegalese football federation confirmed that it would file an appeal before the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, Switzerland.
“To defend its rights and the interests of Senegalese football, the Federation will initiate, as soon as possible, an appeal procedure before the Court of Arbitration for Sport,” the statement said.
The FSF also stated that it remained committed to due process and would continue to inform the public as the case progresses.
“The FSF reaffirms its unwavering commitment to the values of integrity and sporting justice and will keep the public informed of the follow-up to this matter,” the statement concluded
