Betting platforms in the United Kingdom and France have paid out bets on Morocco to win the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, AFCON, a day after the Confederation of African Football, CAF, overturned the outcome of the January 18 final and stripped Senegal of the trophy.
The betting platforms issued different comments on Wednesday.
Sky Bet, a UK bookmaker, declared that it settled wagers in favor of Morocco after the CAF verdict.
“The result of the 2025 AFCON final has been officially reversed, with Morocco now being crowned winners of the tournament. We have now paid out on Morocco as winners in the outright market,” the company said.
Betfair stated that it resettled Morocco AFCON outright antepost bets as winners on Tuesday morning, adding that bets previously paid out on Senegal would also stand.
“It’s a goodwill gesture,” the company said.
Paddy Power described its settlement as a justice payout. “Morocco has been awarded the AFCON, so we have paid out bets on them in the outright market,” it stated, noting that the settlement applied to singles and multiples, paid as cash, online and in retail, with no maximum stake.
French operator Betclic also paid bets on Morocco, referencing Brahim Diaz’s missed penalty in its statement.
“Like a Panenka from Diaz, we decided to play along even three months later and exceptionally validate all ‘Competition Winner: Morocco’ and ‘Final Victory: Morocco’ bets,” it said.
The payouts came after the CAF Appeal Board ruled on Monday that Senegal had forfeited the final by violating Articles 82 and 84 of the AFCON competition rules.
The articles call for a 3-0 defeat for any team that leaves the field without the referee’s permission. CAF declared the result of the final as a 3-0 victory for Morocco.
The ruling traced back to events in stoppage time of the final in Rabat, when VAR awarded Morocco a penalty.
Senegal’s players departed the field for nearly 15 minutes, with only skipper Sadio Mané remaining on the pitch.
When the team returned, Diaz attempted a Panenka from the spot but missed. Senegal thought to have won the game after Pape Gueye scored in extra time.
Morocco filed an appeal, and the CAF Appeal Board upheld it, changing the scoring two months after the encounter.
The Senegalese Football Federation stated that it would appeal the verdict to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
The Senegalese government has also requested an investigation into potential corruption at the CAF.
