Two newly surfaced details first revealed by African.football could significantly strengthen Morocco\u2019s case when the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) examines Senegal\u2019s appeal over the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations final.<\/p>\n
The revelations centre on a leaked report from the final\u2019s general coordinator and remarks attributed to the chairman of CAF\u2019s referees committee. Together, they appear to reinforce Morocco\u2019s core argument that the match should have been considered abandoned when Senegal\u2019s players left the field in protest during the closing stages of the final in Rabat.<\/p>\n
If accepted by CAS as credible and relevant, the two points may help Morocco argue not only that Senegal breached CAF regulations, but also that the game should have been stopped once the walk-off occurred, rather than being allowed to continue to extra time.<\/p>\n
A final still under dispute<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n The 2025 AFCON final remains one of the most controversial matches in African football history. Although the players later returned, Brahim Diaz missed the spot-kick, the match went to extra time, and Senegal eventually scored what seemed to be the winning goal.<\/p>\n That result, however, was later overturned. Coordinator\u2019s report could prove crucial<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n According to African.football, one of the most significant new elements is contained in a leaked report written by match official Khaled Lemkecher, the general coordinator of the final.<\/p>\n In that report, Lemkecher is said to describe \u201cvery strong protests\u201d from the Senegal team, which \u201cintensified even more\u201d after the penalty decision. Morocco may use it to argue that an official directly involved in managing the final interpreted Senegal\u2019s actions as abandonment, not merely protest. In legal terms, that distinction is critical because CAF\u2019s regulations are clear that a team that leaves the field before the end of a match without the referee\u2019s authorisation can be declared to have forfeited.<\/p>\n For Morocco, the report could serve as fresh support for the idea that the legal threshold for forfeiture had already been crossed before the match resumed. African.football reports that during a CAF Executive Committee meeting in Dar es Salaam on 13 February, Olivier Safari, chairman of the confederation\u2019s referees committee, made remarks that appear to suggest outside intervention in how the situation was handled. That statement, if accurate, is likely to become a central talking point. Morocco could argue that it shows the laws of the game and competition regulations were not applied as they ordinarily should have been. More significantly, it may support the claim that officials consciously acted to avoid ending the final, even though the circumstances may have justified doing so. Why the 15-minute delay matters<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n One of the key issues likely to be debated at CAS is whether the match should have been stopped once Senegal\u2019s protest continued for around 15 minutes.<\/p>\n Morocco\u2019s position is expected to be that once Senegal left the pitch and remained off it for that period, the final should have been called off under the regulations. The fact that the players later returned would not, in that view, erase the original breach.<\/p>\n The two new revelations appear to support that interpretation: one from the general coordinator describing abandonment, and one from a senior refereeing official indicating that normal sanctions were not applied in order to keep the match going.<\/p>\n Senegal still have arguments of their own<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Senegal, however, are unlikely to accept that these points settle the issue. Their lawyers are expected to argue that whatever happened during the protest, the referee did not abandon the game. Instead, play resumed, the penalty was taken, full-time was reached, and extra time was completed under official supervision.<\/p>\n That gives Senegal a strong line of defence: the match was finished on the pitch and under the authority of the officials in charge. Senegal have consistently maintained that they remain the rightful champions in sporting terms, even if CAF\u2019s legal ruling says otherwise.<\/p>\n A case that may turn on interpretation<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n What the African football news website African.football has uncovered does not guarantee victory for Morocco at CAS, but it may significantly sharpen their case. For CAS, the challenge will be to weigh the technical application of the rules against the reality that the match was ultimately resumed and completed. For Senegal, they represent another hurdle in an appeal already loaded with legal, sporting and political significance.<\/p>\n What once looked like a football result is now a battle over regulation, interpretation and credibility \u2014 and the latest details suggest the final argument may yet favour Morocco.<\/p>\n Fresh evidence could strengthen Morocco\u2019s hand at CAS in AFCON title dispute with Senegal<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Two newly surfaced details first revealed by African.football could significantly strengthen Morocco\u2019s case when the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) examines Senegal\u2019s appeal over the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations final.<\/p>\n The revelations centre on a leaked report from the final\u2019s general coordinator and remarks attributed to the chairman of CAF\u2019s referees committee. Together, they appear to reinforce Morocco\u2019s core argument that the match should have been considered abandoned when Senegal\u2019s players left the field in protest during the closing stages of the final in Rabat.<\/p>\n If accepted by CAS as credible and relevant, the two points may help Morocco argue not only that Senegal breached CAF regulations, but also that the game should have been stopped once the walk-off occurred, rather than being allowed to continue to extra time.<\/p>\n A final still under dispute<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n The 2025 AFCON final remains one of the most controversial matches in African football history. That result, however, was later overturned. Coordinator\u2019s report could prove crucial<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n According to African.football, one of the most significant new elements is contained in a leaked report written by match official Khaled Lemkecher, the general coordinator of the final.<\/p>\n In that report, Lemkecher is said to describe \u201cvery strong protests\u201d from the Senegal team, which \u201cintensified even more\u201d after the penalty decision. Morocco may use it to argue that an official directly involved in managing the final interpreted Senegal\u2019s actions as abandonment, not merely protest. In legal terms, that distinction is critical because CAF\u2019s regulations are clear that a team that leaves the field before the end of a match without the referee\u2019s authorisation can be declared to have forfeited.<\/p>\n For Morocco, the report could serve as fresh support for the idea that the legal threshold for forfeiture had already been crossed before the match resumed. That statement, if accurate, is likely to become a central talking point. In effect, Morocco may tell CAS that the match was artificially kept alive after a breach serious enough to warrant immediate consequences.<\/p>\n Why the 15-minute delay matters<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n One of the key issues likely to be debated at CAS is whether the match should have been stopped once Senegal\u2019s protest continued for around 15 minutes. The two new revelations appear to support that interpretation: one from the general coordinator describing abandonment, and one from a senior refereeing official indicating that normal sanctions were not applied in order to keep the match going.<\/p>\n Senegal still have arguments of their own That gives Senegal a strong line of defence: the match was finished on the pitch and under the authority of the officials in charge.<\/p>\n They may also argue that if procedural or refereeing errors were made, responsibility lies with the match authorities rather than the players alone, and that it would be unjust to retrospectively strip a team of a title won after the game was officially completed. A case that may turn on interpretation<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n What the African football news website African.football has uncovered does not guarantee victory for Morocco at CAS, but it may significantly sharpen their case. For CAS, the challenge will be to weigh the technical application of the rules against the reality that the match was ultimately resumed and completed. For Senegal, they represent another hurdle in an appeal already loaded with legal, sporting and political significance.<\/p>\n What once looked like a football result is now a battle over regulation, interpretation and credibility \u2014 and the latest details suggest the final argument may yet favour Morocco.<\/p>\n <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Two newly surfaced details first revealed by African.football could significantly strengthen Morocco\u2019s case when…<\/p>","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":27060,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[140,39],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-28118","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-afcon","category-african-football"],"yoast_head":"\n
\nSenegal appeared to have won the title on 18 January after beating hosts Morocco 1-0 following extra time. But the match was overshadowed by chaotic scenes late in normal time when Senegal\u2019s players left the pitch in anger after Morocco were awarded a penalty.<\/p>\n
\nOn appeal, CAF ruled that Senegal had forfeited the final under Articles 82 and 84 of the competition regulations, with Morocco awarded a 3-0 victory and the title. Senegal rejected the ruling and took the case to CAS, insisting the decision was \u201cunfair, unprecedented and unacceptable\u201d.<\/p>\n
\nHe then reportedly writes that the players went \u201cto the locker room, abandoning the match,\u201d while noting that only \u201cone player [Sadio Man\u00e9] remained and later asked a member of the technical staff to go to the locker room and tell the players to return to the pitch to finish the match.\u201d That language could be highly damaging to Senegal\u2019s case.<\/p>\n
\nSafari remark raises issue of officiating interference
\nThe second revelation may be equally important.<\/p>\n
\nHe reportedly said: \u201cEvery Senegalese player who left should have been immediately cautioned upon returning to the pitch, but we gave instructions not to do so, in order to preserve the match and avoid bringing it to a premature end.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nIn effect, Morocco may tell CAS that the match was artificially kept alive after a breach serious enough to warrant immediate consequences.<\/p>\n
\nThey may also argue that if procedural or refereeing errors were made, responsibility lies with the match authorities rather than the players alone, and that it would be unjust to retrospectively strip a team of a title won after the game was officially completed.<\/p>\n
\nThe leaked report appears to offer contemporaneous evidence that Senegal\u2019s actions amounted to abandonment. Safari\u2019s reported remarks may add a separate layer by suggesting that officiating procedures were adjusted to prevent the final from ending prematurely.<\/p>\n
\nFor Morocco, these revelations could become powerful new ammunition.<\/p>\n
\nSenegal appeared to have won the title on 18 January after beating hosts Morocco 1-0 following extra time. But the match was overshadowed by chaotic scenes late in normal time when Senegal\u2019s players left the pitch in anger after Morocco were awarded a penalty.
\nAlthough the players later returned, Brahim Diaz missed the spot-kick, the match went to extra time, and Senegal eventually scored what seemed to be the winning goal.<\/p>\n
\nOn appeal, CAF ruled that Senegal had forfeited the final under Articles 82 and 84 of the competition regulations, with Morocco awarded a 3-0 victory and the title. Senegal rejected the ruling and took the case to CAS, insisting the decision was \u201cunfair, unprecedented and unacceptable\u201d.<\/p>\n
\nHe then reportedly writes that the players went \u201cto the locker room, abandoning the match,\u201d while noting that only \u201cone player [Sadio Man\u00e9] remained and later asked a member of the technical staff to go to the locker room and tell the players to return to the pitch to finish the match.\u201dThat language could be highly damaging to Senegal\u2019s case.<\/p>\n
\nSafari remark raises issue of officiating interference
\nThe second revelation may be equally important.
\nAfrican.football reports that during a CAF Executive Committee meeting in Dar es Salaam on 13 February, Olivier Safari, chairman of the confederation\u2019s referees committee, made remarks that appear to suggest outside intervention in how the situation was handled.He reportedly said: \u201cEvery Senegalese player who left should have been immediately cautioned upon returning to the pitch, but we gave instructions not to do so, in order to preserve the match and avoid bringing it to a premature end.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nMorocco could argue that it shows the laws of the game and competition regulations were not applied as they ordinarily should have been. More significantly, it may support the claim that officials consciously acted to avoid ending the final, even though the circumstances may have justified doing so.<\/p>\n
\nMorocco\u2019s position is expected to be that once Senegal left the pitch and remained off it for that period, the final should have been called off under the regulations. The fact that the players later returned would not, in that view, erase the original breach.<\/p>\n
\nSenegal, however, are unlikely to accept that these points settle the issue.
\nTheir lawyers are expected to argue that whatever happened during the protest, the referee did not abandon the game. Instead, play resumed, the penalty was taken, full-time was reached, and extra time was completed under official supervision.<\/p>\n
\nSenegal have consistently maintained that they remain the rightful champions in sporting terms, even if CAF\u2019s legal ruling says otherwise.<\/p>\n
\nThe leaked report appears to offer contemporaneous evidence that Senegal\u2019s actions amounted to abandonment. Safari\u2019s reported remarks may add a separate layer by suggesting that officiating procedures were adjusted to prevent the final from ending prematurely.<\/p>\n
\nFor Morocco, these revelations could become powerful new ammunition.<\/p>\n
\n