The Confederation of African Football's (CAF) decision to withdraw the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) title from Senegal continues to spark reactions. Hugo Broos, former coach of Cameroon and current coach of South Africa, has shared his views on this controversial matter.
Broos acknowledged the difficulty of this decision for Senegal, while stressing that the regulations must be respected. "It's very hard for Senegal to lose the title, but the rules are the rules: if you leave the field, it's a forfeit," he said on SABC Sport on March 19, 2026. This statement comes in a context of strong protests following the AFCON 2025 final.
CAF justified its decision by relying on Articles 82 and 84 of the competition regulations. These articles stipulate that a team that leaves the field without the referee's authorization can be considered to have forfeited the match. In the case of the AFCON 2025 final, the Senegalese players had left the field to protest the awarding of a penalty to Morocco. Although they returned to play, CAF considered this act a violation of the rules.
Senegal has contested this decision and announced its intention to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). The Senegalese government has even denounced possible corruption within CAF and has called for an independent international investigation. The Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF), for its part, welcomed CAF's decision, stating that it "reaffirms the primacy of competition regulations and reinforces the conditions necessary for the proper conduct of international tournaments".
While awaiting the outcome of this case, Morocco has been declared the winner of AFCON 2025. This decision has generated numerous reactions and continues to be debated in the world of African football.
