Fifty Eight days after Senegal emerged as champions of the Africa Cup of Nations, the Appeal Jury of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has ruled that the Senegal national team forfeited the final of the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025, awarding the match 3–0 in favour of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF), Platinum News is reporting.
The decision, taken in line with Article 84 of the AFCON Regulations, followed an appeal lodged by the Royal Moroccan Football Federation concerning the application of Articles 82 and 84 of the competition’s regulations.
According to CAF, the appeal filed by the Moroccan federation was declared admissible and well-founded, leading the Appeal Jury to annul the earlier decision of the CAF Disciplinary Jury.
The panel ruled that the conduct of the Senegal national team fell within the provisions of Articles 82 and 84 of the AFCON Regulations, establishing that the Senegalese Football Federation (FSF), through the behaviour of its team, breached Article 82.
As a result, the jury declared Senegal to have forfeited the match, with the final result officially recorded as 3–0 in favour of Morocco.
The Appeal Jury also addressed several other incidents connected with the match.
In a related ruling, the appeal involving Morocco’s midfielder Ismaël Saibari was partially upheld. The jury confirmed that Saibari was guilty of misconduct in violation of Articles 82 and 83(1) of the CAF Disciplinary Code. His sanction was revised to a two-match suspension in CAF competitions, with one match suspended, while the $100,000 fine initially imposed on him was cancelled.
CAF also reviewed incidents involving ball boys, VAR-area interference, and the use of lasers during the match.
The jury confirmed the responsibility of the Moroccan federation for the conduct of the ball boys, although the fine imposed on the FRMF was reduced to $50,000.
An appeal regarding interference around the OFR/VAR review area was rejected, with the $100,000 fine against the Moroccan federation upheld.
Meanwhile, the sanction relating to the laser incident was partially accepted, with the fine imposed on Morocco reduced to $10,000.
CAF confirmed that all other requests and claims in the appeal were rejected.