Many African football followers have condemned the Confederation of African Football’s (CAF) decision to strip Senegal of the 2025 African Cup of Nations title and declare Morocco the new champions.

CAF on Tuesday evening announced its arbitration panel’s ruling on the fracas that marred the AFCON final in Rabat, Morocco, which adjudged that Senegal abandoned the game and therefore lost the right to be crowned champions despite winning the game 1-0.

But a bewildered Senegal described the ruling as the rape of justice, saying that naming Morocco the champions, more than two months after the game had been concluded and the winner emerging on the field of play, is injustice.

CAF ruled that the behaviour of the Senegalese players prior to Diaz’s penalty constituted a breach of Articles 82 and 84 and upheld the appeal lodged by the Moroccan Football Association. It said that abandoning the game for more than 15 minutes amounted to forfeiting it.

Two massive refereeing decisions, one which saw the eventual winners denied an opening goal, and one which saw Morocco awarded a penalty, would provoke a stunning reaction on the pitch.

Senegal walked off the pitch in protest, returning after 15 minutes to see Brahim Diaz chip his penalty straight into the arms of Edouard Mendy. Shortly after, Pape Gueye scored the winning goal and the Teranga Lions were awarded the gold medals and trophy.

CAF gave no explanation on why the officials failed to apply the regulations at the time. But the confederation said that it re-analysed the rulebook following Morocco’s appeal against initial sanctions around the other controversial flashpoints from the final.

Subsequently, the appeal board took the unprecedented step of reversing the result, awarding a 3-0 win to Morocco.

Reacting to the ruling, Morocco said in a statement that the appeal was never “intended to challenge the sporting performance of the teams” only “to request the application of the competition’s regulations”.

The Senegalese football federation on the other hand said it plans to appeal the ruling at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), the highest court in Switzerland, which typically takes around a year to deliver a verdict.

The Senegalese federation branded the decision “iniquitous, unprecedented and unacceptable”, saying it “threw discredit on African football”.

Former African Footballer of the Year, Sadio Mane, wrote on instagram: “What has happened here goes too far. This is not the football we fight for, nor the Africa we believe in.”

The former Bayern Munich player added: “There is too much corruption in our sport, and that is killing the passion of millions of fans across the continent. The players give their all on the pitch, but decisions off the pitch determine the outcome of matches and titles.”

Mane said he was “deeply disappointed”. His country, African football and the fans deserved “better, fairness, transparency and respect”.

African football expert, Mimi Fawaz, said that the decision has further damaged the reputation of the continent’s game. “It’s quite sad to see how things have developed and some of the reactions because for such a long time, there’s been a big debate about AFCON and African football getting the respect that it deserves.

“But reading the reaction from a lot of African football fans, that’s the argument that they’re making, some of them, that it has put a stain on African football.

“They have criticised the decision that was made, especially coming two months after the final where Senegal were awarded the winners.

“But of course, some Moroccan fans are saying that they’re actually happy with the result. They feel that it’s justified.”

One football federation president described the ruling as proof that Patrice Motsepe is a “Morocco puppet,” while Botswana’s Football
Association (FA) chief, Tariq Babitseng, who is also a member of the Council of Southern African Football (COSAFA) executive committee refused to blame Motsepe, saying he had nothing to do with the decision.

“People need to be informed or taught that this is not an executive committee decision but it was taken by an independent body, which they call a judicial body. The judicial body has independence, unlike administrative issues where the secretary general is the one that’s in control,” Babitseng said as per The Sowetan.

But another FA president of one of the 14 COSAFA countries, who requested anonymity, fearing reprisals, said this decision will taint Motsepe’s legacy, adding that it will further demonstrate that he was indeed “Morocco’s puppet.”

“President Motsepe has done a lot of good things for African football since he took office in 2021, but this decision to give Morocco AFCON will ruin his legacy,” the FA leader said.

“He’s long been accused of being the puppet of Morocco and people will now think that’s true after this. Yes the Appeal Board is independent, but Motsepe is CAF president, meaning he elected incompetent people in that board.”

Nigeria’s Justice Roli Daibo Harriman heads the appeal panel, which also comprises Faustino Varela Monteiro from Cape Verde as vice president. Others in the panel are Moez Ben Tahar Nasri (Tunisia), Moses Ikanqa (Namibia), Hamoud T’feil Bowbe (Mauritania), Mohamed Robleh Djama (Djibouti), Asogbavi Komlan (Togo), Justice Masauko Timothy Msungama (Malawi), and Lubamba Ngimbi Hector (DRC).

Ex FIFA chief and former PGMOL boss, Keith Hackett, described the decision as “a huge disrespect” and “unacceptable.”

Hackett said: “Deciding the result of a football match sat around a table by committee is a huge disrespect for the game.

“The authorities should have arranged for the game to be replayed behind closed doors with appropriate media coverage and a large number of security in place.”

One of the fallouts of the decision is the effect on pundits. Bookmaker Paddy Power said on X that any single or multiple bets on Morocco to win would now be paid out, while refunds are not being requested for those who backed Senegal to win.

Sky Bet have paid out on Morocco as winners in the outright market, while Betfair say they have resettled outrights bets on Morocco placed before the tournament.