Yusuf Bangura
Mar 22, 2026
There are still footballers with a sense of decency and justice—individuals who can distinguish between right and wrong.
Achraf Hakimi, the Moroccan football team captain who also plays for the French club Paris St German, has rejected AFCON’s outrageous decision to rob Senegal of the title of AFCON champions following the appeal by the Moroccan football authorities that Senegal lost the match because they walked off the pitch when a penalty was awarded against them.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) Appeal Board, which rendered the decision, has truly disgraced African football. It has shown that those who govern the sport either lack sound judgement or are driven by corruption. It’s an absolute scandal—unprecedented in the history of football.
It will be recalled that Morocco was awarded a controversial penalty in the 98th minute—the 8th and final minute of stoppage time—in the final in Rabat between Morocco and Senegal on 18 January 2026. At that point, there was no way Senegal could have avoided defeat, since only one minute of play would have remained had Morocco converted the penalty. Morocco was clearly on the verge of pulling off a historic victory, which would have been its second AFCON title. The first was in 1976—a long 50-year wait for a great football nation.
The Senegalese team was furious. They had created the better chances and had actually put the ball in the net in the 92nd minute and thought they had won the match. However, the referee disallowed the goal, having blown for a foul on Hakimi a split-second before the header instead of allowing the goal to stand and asking VAR for a review.
The Senegalese coach, Pape Thiaw, lost his cool and ordered his team off the pitch. This was an ill-advised move; Senegal still had a small chance to secure the title by extending the match to extra time if their goalkeeper saved the penalty.
The legendary Sadio Mané refused to accept the coach’s decision and urged his teammates to return to the pitch. The team eventually returned after a 15-minute standoff. Under AFCON rules, Senegal should have forfeited the match for the walk-off; Morocco should have been awarded a 3-0 victory and crowned champions. Instead, play was allowed to resume. Senegalese goalkeeper Édouard Mendy saved Brahim Díaz’s Panenka penalty, and Senegal went on to win the match by a single goal to become African champions for the second time.
AFCON’s decision to strip Senegal of the title is prepostrous for three reasons.
First, the referee allowed the game to continue and Morocco accepted that decision. The match was completed, Senegal won, and the Senegalese players lifted the trophy and received their winners’ medals while Morocco collected the runners-up silver. The game was won on the pitch—not two months later in a courtroom.
Morocco could have refused to play the moment the Senegalese players walked off the pitch. They had the right to demand a forfeit and insist on an immediate 3-0 victory. Had the referee ended the match at that point, few could have faulted the decision, even given the controversial penalty. Instead, the Moroccan team appeared confident in their ability to score the penalty and win the match honourably on the pitch. By appealing the result only after failing to win on the field, their behaviour smacks of gross opportunism; they truly want to have their cake and eat it.
Hakimi’s decision to prioritise the morale and joy of the game over a courtroom win is spot on:
“My mum told me to reject the AFCON trophy. I’m officially rejecting it and hope my teammates do the same. We had a chance but failed to win…..Senegal beat us fairly and deserved it. It will be unfair to ruin their joy after the hard work they put in. I respect the CAF decision but I’m officially rejecting the trophy. I didn’t win 2025 AFCON. Congratulations to Senegal once again”.
Second, AFCON’s decision is also flawed because referees’ decisions are final, even when they make wrong calls in matches. Changing a football result administratively after two months is unprecedented in the history of the game. Referees can be punished and results can be overturned if teams field intelligible players. However, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a football administrative body change a result after the trophies and medals have been awarded.
Third, even if CAF’s decision is allowed to stand, Morocco’s victory will be viewed as illegitimate by the vast majority of football fans. Is the Moroccan team really going to hold a victory parade in Rabat two months after the final whistle? Will Moroccans truly feel pride in a title won in a boardroom? Furthermore, Senegalese players have already signalled their refusal to return their medals or the trophy. I would wager that if you asked any fan who the current champions are, they would name Senegal without hesitation. Would any Moroccan player truly feel comfortable displaying a ‘legally awarded’ medal to their children? The entire situation is a farce.
It is not surprising that there has been such strong pushback against CAF’s decision. Football YouTube channels have been highly critical, while legendary players and officials—such as Samuel Eto’o, Didier Drogba, Jay-Jay Okocha, Asisat Oshoala, Augustin Senghor, and El Hadji Diouf—have slammed the ruling. They argue that it undermines confidence in AFCON and damages the dignity and credibility of African football. Even though CAF President Patrice Motsepe has adopted a carefully balanced legalistic position, he has welcomed Senegal’s appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport and pledged to comply with whatever CAS decides. As an independent body headquartered in Lausanne, CAS ensures that the ‘Laws of the Game’ take precedence over local or regional administrative rulings.
Let’s hope that CAS will knock some sense into the heads of the CAF officials who rendered such a terrible decision—one that is likely to inflict lasting damage on the integrity of African football.
