After weeks of legal and media debate sparked by the AFCON 2025 final, the Royal Moroccan Football Federation broke its official silence to assert its rights to the continental title, backed by documents and recordings it calls “damning”.
Fouzi Leqaj, president of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation, told FootMercato last Thursday that Morocco possesses compelling, well-documented evidence, with materials in official reports and video recordings that comply with the applicable laws.
Leqaj added that Senegal’s withdrawal is officially proven, based on the referee’s report, and that there are recordings capturing the moment and surrounding circumstances.
Legal basis and continuation of the match
Leqaj explained that confirming Senegal’s withdrawal rests on Article 84 of the CAF disciplinary code, the legal provision used to confirm Morocco’s victory in the AFCON final.
Morocco agreed to continue the match despite Senegalese players leaving the field, because rejecting the appeal would have exposed the Moroccan team to disciplinary sanctions.
Final moments and aftermath
The final between Morocco and Senegal in Rabat featured dramatic, controversial moments. Senegal had taken the lead in extra time, while the referee awarded a Moroccan penalty near the end of the regular time after a VAR review.
Senegal protested vehemently as their coach ordered players to leave the pitch for several minutes. Players returned after captain Sadio Mané intervened, and Ibrahim Díaz missed the penalty, leaving the match at 1–0 in favor of Senegal.
Two months later, CAF’s appeals committee accepted the Moroccan federation’s appeal, recognizing Senegal’s withdrawal and awarding Morocco the title 3–0 under articles 82 and 84. Senegal’s federation rejected the decision and announced an appeal to CAS in Lausanne.
Morocco’s claim has reignited the rivalry between the two nations in the CAN era, with both sides vowing to pursue legal avenues.
Punchline time (sniper’s joke, lightly tossed): 1) If receipts were goals, Morocco just scored the season’s biggest hat-trick. 2) VAR may stall the clock, but it can’t stall a good conspiracy theory for long—soon there’ll be a replay of the replay.
