"CAF Earthquake": Senegal Rejects Stripping of AFCON 2025 Title, Demands International Corruption Probe

In a stunning late-night development on Tuesday, March 17, 2026, the CAF Appeals Committee ruled to strip Senegal of its AFCON 2025 title, awarding the championship to hosts Morocco with a 3-0 administrative victory. This unprecedented decision comes two months after the "Teranga Lions" defeated Morocco 1-0 in extra time during a chaotic final in Rabat.

Controversial Legal Grounds CAF justified its ruling by invoking Articles 82 and 84 of the competition regulations, which stipulate that a team is considered a loser if they "refuse to play" or "leave the pitch before the legal end of the match." The committee apparently interpreted the chaotic scenes during the final as a regulatory breach by the Senegalese side, effectively overturning the sporting result in favor of the host nation.

Senegalese Outrage and CAS Appeal The Senegalese government, through spokesperson Marie Rose Khady Fatou Faye, vehemently rejected the move, calling it an "unjustified attempt to seize the title." Senegal is now demanding an independent international investigation into "allegations of corruption" within CAF’s administrative bodies. Meanwhile, the Senegalese Football Federation confirmed it will escalate the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne, vowing to fight a lengthy legal battle to restore the "sporting merit" of their victory.