Senegal FA head to CAS after AFCON 2025 title stripping  

The Senegalese Football Federation has strongly rejected the Confederation of African Football (CAF) appeals jury’s decision to strip them off the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations title, months after the tournament in Morocco.

The continental football governing body (CAF) dropped a bombshell on Tuesday night, annulling Senegal’s AFCON 2025 success and awarding Morocco a 3-0 victory.

In a landmark ruling issued under Articles 82 and 84 of the AFCON regulations, CAF upheld an appeal lodged by the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF), setting aside the earlier decision of the Disciplinary Board.

The decision stems from dramatic scenes during the final, when Senegal players walked off the pitch for over 17 minutes in protest against a late penalty awarded to Morocco.

Following Sadio Mane’s intervention, the Teranga Lions returned to the pitch for the continuation of the match and subsequently prevailed with a narrow win through Pape Gueye after Brahim Diaz had missed the penalty that had triggered the protest.

CAF, however, ruled that the conduct of the Senegal team constituted a breach of the competition’s regulations. As a result, the Federation Senegalaise de Football (FSF) was found to have infringed Article 82, leading to the forfeiture of the match under Article 84.

However, the Senegal FA has rejected the CAF’s decision to award Morocco the title, threatening to contest the case at the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS).

"To defend its rights and the interests of Senegalese football, the federation will initiate proceedings before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne as soon as possible ," the FSF announced.

Besides, the Appeal Board of CAF also issued additional rulings relating to incidents during the final.

Morocco player Ismael Saibari was found guilty of misconduct in violation of CAF’s disciplinary code. His sanction was reduced to a two-match suspension, with one match suspended, while a previously imposed fine of $100,000 was set aside.

CAF also held Morocco’s federation responsible for the conduct of ball boys during the match, reducing the associated fine to $50,000.

However, a separate fine of $100,000 for interference around the VAR review area was upheld, while a sanction relating to a laser incident was reduced to $10,000. All other appeals and requests were dismissed.

Communiqué de la FSF relatif à la notification de la décision rendue le 17 mars 2026 par le Jury d'Appel de la Confédération Africaine de Football (CAF). 👇 pic.twitter.com/b0xxQsMQWU

— Equipe du Sénégal (@GaindeYi) March 18, 2026

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