In a surprising turn of events, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has declared the Moroccan national team the winner of the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025, following the forfeiture of the Senegalese team. This decision follows an appeal by the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) regarding the application of Articles 82 and 84 of the competition regulations.
The CAF Appeal Jury ruled that the Senegalese team's behavior during the final warranted a forfeit due to a violation of competition regulations. Consequently, the match result was ratified as 3-0 in favor of Morocco. This decision overturns the previous decision of the CAF Disciplinary Committee.
The final, held in Rabat, was marked by controversy when the Senegalese team left the field in protest. The FRMF had filed a complaint regarding incidents that occurred during the match, requesting additional sanctions under Articles 82 and 84 of the AFCON regulations.
In addition to the decision regarding the match result, the CAF Appeal Jury also ruled on individual and team disciplinary matters. The appeal concerning Ismaël Saibari, player No. 11 of the Moroccan national team, was partially accepted. The sanction against him was revised to a suspension of two official CAF matches, one of which is suspended, and the fine of USD 100,000 was canceled.
The FRMF was held responsible for the conduct of ball boys during the match, but the fine imposed for this incident was reduced to USD 50,000. The appeal regarding interference around the OFR/VAR review area was rejected, confirming a USD 100,000 fine against the FRMF. The fine related to the laser incident was reduced to USD 10,000.
This decision gives Morocco their first AFCON title since 1976.
