CAF Appeal Board Awards AFCON 2025 Final to Morocco After Senegal Forfeit

2026-03-18 - 00:11

The Confédération Africaine de Football (CAF) Appeal Board has dramatically overturned the outcome of the TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) Morocco 2025 final, ruling that Senegal forfeited the match and awarding a 3–0 victory to hosts Morocco. In a decision grounded in Articles 82 and 84 of the AFCON regulations, the Appeal Board upheld an appeal filed by the Fédération Royale Marocaine de Football (FRMF), setting aside the earlier ruling of the CAF Disciplinary Board. CAF confirmed that the conduct of the Senegal national team constituted a breach of tournament regulations, with the Fédération Sénégalaise de Football (FSF) found to have violated Article 82. As a result, the final has officially been recorded as a 3–0 win in favour of Morocco. “The appeal is admissible and upheld,” the ruling stated, adding that all other motions were dismissed. Sanctions and Additional Rulings The Appeal Board also issued a series of sanctions stemming from incidents surrounding the final: Morocco’s Ismaël Saibari was found guilty of misconduct but received a reduced punishment — a two-match suspension, with one match suspended. A previously imposed $100,000 fine was overturned. The FRMF was held responsible for the conduct of ball boys, with its fine reduced to $50,000. A separate $100,000 fine relating to interference around the VAR review area was upheld in full. A fine linked to a laser incident was reduced to $10,000. All other appeals and requests for relief were dismissed. For more news, join The Chronicle Newspaper channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VbBSs55E50UqNPvSOm2z