The saga surrounding the final of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations reached its conclusion on Tuesday, March 17, 2026. In an official statement, the Appeals Jury of the African Football Confederation declared the Senegal national team withdrawn, awarding a 3-0 victory to Morocco in accordance with Article 84 of the competition regulations. This decision follows the appeal lodged by the Royal Moroccan Football Federation, which contested the initial ruling made by the CAF Disciplinary Jury.
In its ruling, the appeals body determined that the behavior of the Senegalese team fell within the scope of Articles 82 and 84 of the AFCON regulations. It deemed the objection filed by the FRMF to be valid, while considering that the Senegalese Football Federation, through the conduct of its team, had violated Article 82. Consequently, the previous decision of the Disciplinary Jury was annulled, and the match was officially recorded with a score of 3-0 in favor of Morocco.
The Appeals Jury also addressed several disciplinary aspects related to this match. Regarding Ismaël Saibari, the CAF confirmed the existence of misconduct in violation of Articles 82 and 83(1) of the Disciplinary Code but reduced his sanction. The Moroccan midfielder will now serve a two-match suspension from CAF competitions, one of which is suspended, while the initial fine of $100,000 imposed on him has been revoked.
On other incidents, the CAF maintained the responsibility of the FRMF for the behavior of the ball boys, while reducing the fine to $50,000. However, the $100,000 fine related to interferences around the OFR/VAR review area was upheld. Finally, the incident involving the laser resulted in a reduced sanction, with the fine imposed on Morocco now set at $10,000. With this decision, the CAF closes a particularly sensitive case, the sporting and disciplinary repercussions of which will have lasting effects following the final.
