AFCON: A final, a trophy & the 17 minutes dividing African football

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By Beng Emmanuel Kum

On January 18, 2026, the Senegal national team was crowned champion of the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) for the second time in its history.

But Senegalese fans woke up on the morning of what was supposed to be the eve of their second month of triumph as African champions only to find out they have been stripped of their title.

“Just yesterday, we were champions. Today, we are no longer,” Dakar based football fan Saikou Sarr wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

This is insane. Everyone knows we won that match. We are the African champions,” Saikou added.

Senegal lifted their second AFCON trophy in January

It took the Confederation of African Football, CAF close to 60 days to overturn the results of the 2025 AFCON final following Senegal’s walk-off during the final. 

The Teranga Lions narrowly edged hosts Morocco 1-0 at the Moulay Abdellah Sports Complex in Rabat to lift the coveted trophy after the 2021 edition.

However, that result has now been overturned after a decision by the Appeal Board at CAF made public in the late hours of Tuesday March 16.

They said the Senegalese team refused to play after the hosts were awarded a stoppage-time penalty with the match goalless.

The BBC Sport Africa reported that the match was delayed for “about 17 minutes”. Other reports said Senegal’s players were off the pitch for approximately 15-17 minutes.

However, the players eventually returned to pitch and won the game.  Villareal midfielder Pape Gueye ,27, scored an extra time winner after Brahim Diaz’s penalty was saved by Edouard Mendy with almost the last kick of the game.

In a statement, the Appeal Board said: “(…) In application of Article 84 of the Regulations of the CAF Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), the Senegal National Team is declared to have forfeited the Final Match of the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations, AFCON, Morocco 2025”.

They added that “the result of the Match being recorded as 3–0 in favour of the Fédération Royale Marocaine de Football, FRMF.”

This decision has been described as unprecedented in African football.

Two nations, one crown

Fans from Senegal and Morocco had moved on from the final of the AFCON. Although the Royal Morocco Football Federation, FRMF had appealed to CAF, nobody saw this twist coming.

In a statement, the FRMF acknowledges the decision of the CAF Appeals Committee. The reiterated that its appeal was never aimed at contesting the sporting merit or performance of the teams involved in this tournament, but solely to ensure the proper enforcement of competition regulations.

The FRMF added in a statement that: “This decision helps to clarify the framework applicable to similar situations in the future and contributes to the consistency and credibility of international competitions, particularly African football.”

In response, the Senegalese Football Federation, FSF,  strongly condemned CAF’s Appeals Board’s decision to strip them of their title. They described the decision as “unfair, unprecedented, and unacceptable”.

The federation is taking the matter to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne to overturn the 3–0 forfeit and reinstate the 1–0 on-field victory.

The government of Senegal voiced its frustration. They have called for an “independent international investigation” into what they described as “suspected corruption” at African football’s governing body.

They said: “Senegal unequivocally rejects this unjustified attempt at dispossession.”

The president of the Confederation of African Football, CAF, Dr Patrice Motsepe said in a video published on CAF platforms that “the CAF Disciplinary Board has made one decision. The CAF Appeal Committee has taken a completely different position.”

Motsepe added that: “Senegal will appeal, which is very important, and we will respect the decision taken at the highest level.”

Senegalese players and fans still believe they are champions. The Moroccans are celebrating a title that has long eluded them for five decades. 

The Daily Mail, in one of its reports said that: Senegal are refusing to hand back their AFCON trophy and have threatened legal action after they were extraordinarily stripped of the title”

Abdoulaye Sow, Secretary General of the FSF also insisted the trophy was going nowhere.  

“The FSF president is in discussions with all those involved. The fight is far from over,” Sow is quoted to have said. 

He added that: “I want to reassure all Senegalese people. Senegal has the right and victory is on its side. The cup will not leave the country.”

Just-unjust decision. Who is right? 

The image of African football suffered a major setback during the chaotic AFCON final. CAF’s subsequent decision has further tarnished the reputation of the continent and impacted Africa’s premier football tournament on the global stage. 

Almost everybody is talking about it. And everyone is trying to prove a point to either justify or condemn CAF.

In Cameroon for instance, the drama has overshadowed news like the election of a new Speaker of the National Assembly after the over three-decade reign of Cavaye Yeguie Djibril.

African Football legend, Roger Milla is quoted to have told L’Equipe according to Allez Les Lions that: “But this is disgrace, utter nonsense. We’ve never seen anything like this. What do we do with the medals? Give them back? It is a way of asking footballers to no longer give consideration to the AFCON.”

Joseph-Antoine Bell, who played with Milla at the 1990 FIFA World Cup where Cameroon became the first African nation to reach the quarter-final said “what needs to be denounced is their [referring to Senegalese players] lack of fair play”.

He added that: “The decision was issued as the rules provide. It complies with the regulation and it was communicated within a legal time frame relative to the procedure”.

But others do not agree. Former Cameroon head coach, Claude Le Roy described the decision as “completely irresponsible and implausible”

Senegal’s hero on the night of the triumph, Sadio Mane, who convinced his teammates to return to the field during the final said in a statement that “this is not the football we fight for.”

Mane said: “There is too much corruption in our game and it is killing the passion of millions of fans across the continent. Players give everything on the pitch but decisions off it are deciding matches and trophies.”

A CAF Executive Committee member, Samir Sobha reportedly said that Morocco was robbed. 

“I apologize to the Moroccan Football Federation for the injustice they suffered… The rules were not followed as they should have been in this match.”

He added that: “It’s clear that after the Senegalese team left the field, all the players should have been shown a yellow card. I’m not saying the trophy should be taken away from the Senegalese team. What’s done is done. We can’t change it(… )But we need to put our egos aside and admit that an injustice was committed against Morocco’s national team. They (the Moroccans, ed.) were robbed.” 

The only African player to win the prestigious Ballon d’Or, George Weah insisted that “football must be decided on the pitch, not re-decided after the final whistle.”

Weah said: “Once play is allowed to continue and the match is completed; the result obtained on the field must stand(…)officials have full authority during the game.”

(…) There is therefore no sporting justification to nullify a match that was completed in accordance with the referee’s authority and the Laws of the Game” Weah added.

Out of the continent, reactions continue to galore. Ex-England international Nigel Reo-Coker told CBS Sports that “it’s an absolute embarrassment for CAF. It is another reason where people will talk down on the competition”.

Moroccan football experts and analysts and a few across the continent have praised CAF for the decision. They believe it was the right decision and was needed to restore the integrity of the game. 

Not the way to end a 50-year trophy wait

There have been lots of reactions on social media and they are divided. In Morocco, fans are not particularly excited about the decision. Many of them believe that the decision should have come after the game.

But Moroccans celebrated regardless. 

BBC Sport reported that it was a night of jubilation in Morocco, as they were declared winners. 

Speaking to BBC Newsday Moroccan journalist Jalal Bounour said that it was “a sleepless night as fans welcomed the news with great excitement and joy”.

But not everyone sees it that way. 

Morocco football fans Yasser told After Foot RMC that the AFCON final had irreparable damage on the team. The team lost the coach and their team has been destabilized two months to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.  

“All we wanted was justice. This is not how we want to win our first title in 50 years,” Yasser said. 

“What are we going to do with such a win? It is not good. A trophy is won on the field. This is not how we want to win,” he added. 

Senegalese fans have also voiced their concern. Umar Cheik said the decision was “unjust” and said “CAF should be ashamed”.

CAF is on the hot seat again!

This is not the first time a football team has walked-off from the pitch. Even in Cameroon, it has happened before.

In February, reigning Elite One champions Colombe Sportive of the Dja and Lobo from the South Region walked off during the Cameroon Super Cup against Panthere du Nde after the award of a controversial penalty and a red card for captain Randy Ntume in the 69th minute.

The match was abandoned and the final outcome is still to be determined by the Cameroonian football authorities.

While there are many other cases, the case between Senegal and Morocco adds to other decisions taken by CAF that have raised several questions.

It is worth recalling that ahead of the 2010 AFCON, the Togo national team bus was shot at resulting in three dead, nine injured. CAF suspended Togo from the next two AFCONs for “government interference” after the team flew home to deal with the trauma.

Nigerian football journalist, Osasu Obayiuwana wrote on X that “CAF never learns from its past mistakes.”

Osasu was referring to the CAF Champions League final, the continent’s premier club competition in 2019 between Espérance de Tunis and Wydad Casablanca.

The final was marred by immense controversy at the end of the game when Wydad’s Walid El Karti had an equalizer disallowed for an alleged infringement. Wydad players demanded the VAR check the goal. It was revealed that the VAR equipment was not functioning, a fact that both teams were reportedly told before the game. This led to massive protests.

Wydad refused to continue playing without VAR verification, leading to a 95th-minute halt. After the stoppage, the Gambian referee declared Esperance winners, giving them the trophy.

Following an emergency meeting, CAF ordered a replay at a neutral venue. Esperance and Wydad both appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, CAS which ruled that the CAF’s Executive Committee did not have the jurisdiction to order a replay.

The case was referred to CAF’s disciplinary committee, which ruled that Wydad had abandoned the match and thus lost the final, cementing Esperance as 2019 champions. 

This story was first published on The Guardian Post Sports.

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