Former FKF president faults CAF for stripping Senegal of AFCON title
Reading Time: 3min | Thu. 19.03.26. | 19:44
In a dramatic turn of events, CAF’s Appeals Committee ruled that Senegal national football team had forfeited the final, effectively handing the title to hosts Morocco national football team through an administrative decision
Former Football Kenya Federation (FKF) President Sam Nyamweya has joined a growing list of stakeholders castigating Confederation of African Football (CAF) over its decision to annul Senegal’s 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) triumph in Morocco.
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In a dramatic turn of events, CAF’s Appeals Committee ruled that the Senegal national football team had forfeited the final, effectively handing the title to the hosts, Morocco, through an administrative decision.
Citing Articles 82 and 84 of the AFCON regulations, CAF determined that the conduct of the Senegal players during the final warranted a severe penalty.
The match, played in Rabat, was halted for over 15 minutes after Senegal players protested a late penalty awarded to Morocco just seconds before the final whistle.
After rescinding their brief boycott and resuming play, Morocco’s Brahim Díaz missed from the spot, forcing the match into extra time, where Senegal went on to score through Pape Gueye to seal their second AFCON title.
Reacting to the decision, Nyamweya termed CAF’s ruling both unlawful and unjust.
“This is not only unprecedented but also an exceptionally serious decision based on a manifestly erroneous interpretation of the regulations, leading to a grossly illegal and deeply unjust outcome,” Nyamweya told Flashscore.
He questioned the basis of the ruling, noting that the match was completed without abandonment.
“The decision by CAF has left more questions than answers, given that the match was played to the final whistle and there was no abandonment whatsoever,” he added.
While acknowledging that Senegal players were wrong to walk off in protest, the former Kenya FA boss maintained that the penalty decision itself was contentious.
“Senegal players were at fault for walking out of the pitch after the referee awarded Morocco what was seen as a questionable penalty deep into added time,” he said.
“Senegal went on to score in extra time in full glare of the entire world to win the title. However, CAF has gone ahead to strip them of the title after Morocco lodged a complaint, which is, to say the least, daylight robbery.”
He further argued that football outcomes should be determined on the pitch, not in boardrooms.
“Football rules dictate that the winner on the pitch gets the points or the title in a final match, unless there are other breaches.
In this case, the match officials allowed the game to continue to completion, so how does the winner forfeit the title?”
He warned that the ruling could set a dangerous precedent for African football.
“The action by CAF is setting a dangerous precedent and will erode the gains African football has made over the years.”
Nyamweya concluded by calling on CAF leadership to intervene and resolve the matter.
“As a football stakeholder and having served in CAF committees, I call upon the top leadership of CAF to come out and sort the mess caused by this ruling. Football must be won on the pitch and not in boardrooms.”