Afcon final overturned in unprecedented U-turn as Morocco crowned new champions following Senegal chaos

The continental football governing body's appeals panel announced the decision on Tuesday night to overturn the games orginal 1-0 extra-time triumph.

The decision came after the Royal Moroccan Football Federation lodged an appeal against the original result.

CAF confirmed the appeal was "declared admissible in form" and subsequently upheld.

The ruling strips Senegal of what would have been their second continental title, with the Lions of Teranga now officially declared to have forfeited the showpiece match held in Rabat on January 18.

It comes after the Africa Cup of Nations final descended into chaos, with Senegal players abandoning the pitch in protest after a contentious late penalty decision in favour of hosts Morocco.

Moroccan forward Brahim Diaz went down inside the penalty area, prompting a VAR intervention that resulted in a spot-kick being awarded to the hosts.

Head coach Pape Thiaw signalled for his players to leave the field after referee Jean-Jacques Ndala awarded the spot kick to Morocco deep into stoppage time at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat.

The extraordinary scenes saw Senegalese players initially gather near their bench before several walked down the tunnel, refusing to continue the match.

When the side eventually returned to the pitch around 17 minutes later, the Moroccan missed the penalty, and the contest went to extra time.

Senegal's Pape Gueye netted the decisive goal during the additional period.

Article 84 reinforces this provision, mandating that teams breaching Article 82 face permanent elimination and an automatic 3-0 defeat.

The appeals panel found that the Senegalese Football Federation's team had violated Articles 82 and 84 of the Africa Cup of Nations regulations, which state that any side that refuses to continue playing or departs the field prior to full time without the referee's permission shall be deemed the losing team and removed from the competition.

All other requests for relief brought before the board were dismissed, with the forfeiture ruling standing as the definitive outcome of the continental championship final.

The appeals board also addressed several other matters arising from the final, including sanctions against Moroccan midfielder Ismaël Saibari.

The player's punishment for misconduct was reduced to a two-match ban from official CAF fixtures, with one of those matches suspended, while a $100,000 fine against him was removed entirely.

Regarding incidents involving Morocco, the penalty for ball boy conduct during the match was reduced to $50,000, whilst the fine for laser pointer use was cut to $10,000.

However, a $100,000 sanction for interference near the VAR review area was upheld in full.

The decision marks the first time that a champion has been stripped of the trophy and a final result reversed nearly two months after the match.

Morocco welcomed the verdict in an initial response.

It read: "The Federation wishes to recall that its approach has never been intended to challenge the sporting performance of the teams participating in this competition, but solely to request the application of the competition’s regulations.

"The Federation reaffirms its commitment to respecting the rules, ensuring clarity in the competitive framework, and maintaining stability within African competitions. It also wishes to commend all the nations that took part in this edition of the AFCON, which has been a major moment for African football.

"The Federation will make an official statement tomorrow, after convening its governing bodies.”

Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter