The scandalous end to the Africa Cup caused outrage, horrendous fines - and months later takes a surprising turn at the green table. The dethroned Senegalese announce an appeal.
18.03.2026, 10:36
18.03.2026, 15:06
dpa
57 days after the scandalous Africa Cup final, Morocco was surprisingly awarded the victory despite the sporting defeat against Senegal. The Court of Appeal of the African Football Association (CAF) upheld the Moroccans' appeal and awarded the hosts of the final in Rabat a 3:0 victory in a match that got completely out of hand due to questionable refereeing decisions. Senegal had won the encounter, which was accompanied by tumult, 1:0 after extra time - and now want to appeal against the subsequent revocation of the title.
The court went against the decision of the CAF, which had initially imposed numerous fines on both teams but did not question the sporting result. In the appeal hearing, it was now decided, with reference to Article 82 of the Africa Cup regulations, that the Senegalese team had conceded the game by leaving the pitch towards the end of normal time - and should therefore be counted as the losers.
Senegal calls for corruption investigation against CAF
- The government of Senegal is calling for corruption investigations against the Confederation of African Football following the withdrawal of the Africa Cup title. "Senegal cannot accept an administrative decision that destroys commitment, merit and sporting excellence," said government spokeswoman Marie Faye in Dakar.
- "Senegal unequivocally rejects this attempt at unjustified expropriation. It calls for an independent international investigation to be launched into suspected corruption within CAF's governing bodies," the statement continued.
- The country would "exhaust all appropriate legal remedies, including before the competent international judicial bodies" in order to restore the primacy of the sporting result. The government did not say what specific steps might be involved.
The association, on the other hand, had come to the conclusion that the team had not fulfilled the criteria for abandonment because it had returned to the pitch after the interruption. The Court of Appeal took a different view and also reduced the fines originally imposed on the co-host of the 2030 World Cup.
Senegal's head of association rages - players react with laughter
Senegal's national football association will not accept the decision and will appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), as Secretary General Abdoulaye Seydou Sow announced that evening on state broadcaster RTS. "We will contact our lawyers and lodge an appeal. We will stop at nothing. The law is on our side," he says. The Court of Appeal's decision is a "farce" and a "disgrace for Africa".
Some players from the Senegalese national team also commented on the decision on social media. Habib Diarra, Pathe Ciss and El Hadji Malick Diouf shared pictures of the trophy on their Instagram stories and posted tearful emojis. West Ham defender Diouf wrote: "Some things you can't buy or send, you have to earn them on the pitch."
Pape Demba Diop criticizes the stripping of the title with the words: "I think we're in a lunatic asylum here." Pathé Ciss, meanwhile, is not letting his mood be spoiled: "You can give the crybabies three more goals."
Scandalous final goes down in history
The final in Rabat made headlines around the world as a scandalous match - not only because of the tumult at the end, but also because of the unsportsmanlike conduct of the hosts. Several ball boys had repeatedly tried to steal Senegal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy's towel in the pouring rain. Even top star Achraf Hakimi grabbed Mendy's towel and threw it over the bar. In the end, a Senegalese substitute had to take the piece of cloth and defend it.
And things also went crazy on the pitch. After the referee disallowed a goal for Senegal in stoppage time and then whistled a very questionable penalty for Morocco shortly afterwards, Pape Thiaw had had enough: Senegal's coach summoned his team to the dressing room in protest.
Sadio Mané shouted at his teammates
Only a few players around Sadio Mané remained on the pitch. Then the captain ran into the dressing room. "He came in and shouted. Shouted at us to get on the pitch and finish the game," midfielder Lamine Camara reported later. "When Sadio talks, everyone listens. We listened to him and it went well for us." Because the controversial penalty was missed: Morocco's top scorer Brahim Díaz missed from the spot, Pape Gueye eventually scored the winning goal for Senegal.
Penalties for Senegal remain, leniency for Morocco
The heated match and the chaos had consequences. The African Football Confederation subsequently imposed a five-match ban and a fine of 100,000 US dollars on coach Pape Thiaw. In total, the Senegalese association was fined 615,000 dollars for various offenses - including the attempted storming of the pitch by Senegalese fans. Two players were suspended.
These penalties were left untouched by the CAF Court of Appeal. Morocco, on the other hand, were not only awarded the victory, but also had their penalties reduced. Originally, the association had been fined a total of 315,000 dollars, the majority of which was for the unsportsmanlike conduct of the ball boys. The Court of Appeal reduced this amount from 200,000 to 50,000 dollars. The court overturned the 100,000 dollar fine for midfielder Ismaël Saibari and reduced his ban from three games to two, one of which was suspended. The court reduced the fine of 15,000 dollars for the use of laser pointers by Moroccan fans to 10,000 dollars.
All that remained was the fine of 100,000 dollars for the association in connection with the protests against the video referee and the two-match ban for Hakimi. One of these matches had already been suspended for one year by the African FA.
