Senegal’s football federation has fired back at the Confederation of African Football (CAF) after the continental body stripped the West African nation of its Africa Cup of Nations title and handed it to Morocco.
In a dramatic turn of events that has sent shockwaves through African football, CAF’s Appeal Board on March 17, 2026, declared Morocco’s men’s national team the winners of the 2025 TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), a title Senegal had claimed on the pitch after winning the tournament’s final match.
The ruling stemmed from an appeal lodged by the Fédération Royale Marocaine de Football (FRMF), which challenged Senegal’s victory because the Senegalese players had walked off the pitch for several minutes during the final. The CAF Appeal Board sided with Morocco, recording the result of the match as a 3–0 defeat for Senegal and officially crowning the Atlas Lions as champions.
Senegal, however, was having none of it.
In a strongly worded statement sighted by ApexNewsGh on X on March 17, 2026, the Senegalese Football Federation blasted CAF’s decision as unfair, unprecedented, and deeply damaging to the image of African football. The federation did not mince words, describing the ruling as an “insult” to the continent’s game.
“The Senegalese Football Federation denounces this unfair, unprecedented, and unacceptable decision, which discredits African football,” the statement read.
But the federation made clear it would not stop there. Refusing to accept the outcome lying down, Senegal announced its intention to take the matter to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne, Switzerland, in a bid to reclaim what it believes is rightfully theirs.
“To defend its rights and the interests of Senegalese football, the Federation will initiate an appeal as soon as possible before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne,” the statement added.
The controversy has cast a long shadow over what should have been a celebratory moment for African football, with the legitimacy of the 2025 AFCON title now set to be decided not on the pitch, but in a courtroom.
Source: Apexnewsgh.com