Senegal AFCON Appeal to CAS After CAF Awards Morocco 3-0 Forfeit Victory

The Senegalese Football Federation is launching a Senegal AFCON appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport after being stripped of their title via a 3-0 forfeit ruling.

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has stripped Senegal of the Africa Cup of Nations title, awarding a 3-0 victory to Morocco following a Tuesday evening ruling by an appeal board. This decision reverses the original result on the pitch, where Pape Gueye scored the winning goal in extra time after Édouard Mendy saved a stoppage-time penalty from Brahim Díaz. The Senegal AFCON appeal will now move to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne as the Senegalese Football Federation (FSF) seeks to overturn the forfeiture. The appeal board determined that Senegal forfeited the final when the squad left the field in protest of a disputed penalty awarded deep in stoppage time.

Stoppage Time Chaos and Extra Time Result

The match reached a boiling point when Senegal coach Pape Thiaw instigated a walk-off, leading to a significant delay in play. Once the game belatedly restarted, Brahim Díaz stepped up to take the spot-kick, but his effort was stopped by Mendy. Despite the successful save and Gueye’s subsequent extra-time winner, the appeal board cited the mid-match protest as grounds for a total reversal of the outcome. Morocco is now celebrating their second AFCON title based on the administrative 3-0 scoreline, two months after the acrimonious conclusion of the tournament.

Official Reactions and Legal Action

Abdoulaye Seydou Sow, the secretary general of the FSF, confirmed the federation’s stance to public broadcaster Radiodiffusion Télévision Sénégalaise, stating that the law is on their side and they will not back down. The federation utilized a statement on X to label the CAF decision as "iniquitous, unprecedented and unacceptable," claiming the ruling discredited African football. The FSF intends to engage the CAS with the "shortest delay" to protect the rights and interests of the national team. An anonymous federation member, quoted by L'Équipe, described the mood as outraged and predicted "World War 3" at the upcoming CAF executive committee meeting scheduled for March 29.

Government Support and Corruption Allegations

The Senegalese government released a statement on Wednesday rejecting the attempt to erase sporting merit and excellence through administrative means. Beyond the Senegal AFCON appeal, the state is calling for an independent international investigation into suspected corruption within the governing body of CAF. The government also expressed solidarity with Senegalese citizens currently detained in Morocco following incidents at the final, noting they are fully mobilized to ensure a positive outcome for those individuals. The administration emphasized that it will pursue all appropriate avenues in international courts to restore the primacy of sporting results.

Player Responses and Social Media Backlash

Senegal’s players utilized social media to voice their dissent, with Sadio Mané posting on Instagram that "the world knows the true champions." Defender Moussa Niakhaté shared an image of himself with the trophy, captioned "Come and get it! They're crazy!" and later posted a photo from the final’s aftermath to clarify that the scenes were real and not generated by AI. Left-back El Hadj Malick Diouf and defensive midfielder Pathé Ciss also posted images with the trophy and winner's medals, with Ciss including laughing face emojis to mock the ruling. Diouf stated that the situation was not what he expected and insisted the trophy was not going anywhere.

Morocco’s Regulatory Defense

The Moroccan federation welcomed the verdict, clarifying that their approach was not a challenge to the sporting performance of other teams but a request for the strict application of competition regulations. Their statement reaffirmed a commitment to maintaining stability and clarity within the competitive framework of African football. While acknowledging the major moment the tournament represented for the continent, the Moroccan side maintained that the ruling ensures respect for the established rules of the game. The FSF received formal notification of this decision, which was rendered on March 17, 2026, by the CAF Jury d’Appel.