The Confederation of African Football Appeal Board has ruled that Senegal forfeited the final of the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) Morocco 2025, with the match officially awarded 3–0 in favour of Morocco.
The decision follows an appeal lodged by the Fédération Royale Marocaine de Football (FRMF), challenging the earlier ruling of the CAF Disciplinary Board. The Appeal Board declared the appeal admissible and upheld it, setting aside the initial decision.
According to CAF, the conduct of the Senegal national team was found to have breached Articles 82 and 84 of the AFCON regulations. As a result, the Fédération Sénégalaise de Football (FSF) was deemed responsible for misconduct, leading to the forfeiture of the final.
The ruling effectively hands Morocco the AFCON 2025 title, marking a significant and controversial conclusion to the tournament.
In addition to the match ruling, the Appeal Board also reviewed several related disciplinary matters. Morocco international Ismaël Saibari was found guilty of misconduct but received a reduced sanction. His punishment was amended to a two-match suspension, with one match suspended, while the earlier fine of $100,000 was overturned.
The Appeal Board further held the FRMF accountable for incidents involving ball boys during the match, reducing the initial fine to $50,000. However, a separate fine of $100,000 related to interference around the VAR review area was upheld.
Additionally, sanctions linked to a laser incident were partially reduced, with the fine lowered to $10,000.
All other appeals and requests were dismissed, bringing closure to one of the most dramatic off-field decisions in recent AFCON history.