Senegal Vs Morocco: Inside CAF's injustices

What was billed as one of the biggest sporting events of the year in Africa has descended into a mess. The 2025 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Morocco stood out as one of the continent’s premier football events, right until the final game. 

Although Senegal came out on top, what transpired at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat still leaves little to be desired, from a football point of view. After referee Jean-Jacques Ndala from the Democratic Republic of the Congo awarded a controversial penalty to the hosts in stoppage time, the Lions of Teranga walked off the pitch in protest and headed to the dressing room at the request of their coach, Pape Thiaw.

After around 20 minutes and intervention of ex-Liverpool winger Sadio Mane, the Senegalese players came back and finished the game. 

They dramatically went on to clinch the trophy after Morocco had missed their penalty. Brahim Diaz’s Panenka kick was comfortably saved by Edouard Mendy, with Villarreal’s Pape Gueye going on to score the winning goal in extra time, crowning Senegal African champions for only the second time in their history. 

Senegal’s win in Rabat had a ripple effect on football across the globe, as Morocco felt disgruntled about the result, moving to court.

On Tuesday, CAF overturned the decision after the final whistle, eventually stripping Thiaw’s side of the title and naming Morocco as champions instead. CAF justified the decision, having studied Morocco’s appeal, and ruled the Senegal national team forfeited the match, with the match officially recorded as 3-0 in favour of the Atlas Lions. 

The CAF Appeals Committee justified its decision by applying Articles 82 and 84 of the AFCON Regulations, which state that if a team “refuses to play or leaves the ground before the regular end of the match without the authorisation of the referee, it shall be considered (loser) and shall be eliminated for good from the current competition”. 

Senegal have  moved to court to appeal the decision through its federation. The decision has left many questioning whether CAF president Patrice Motsepe is running the federation or he is a puppet of strong football nations like Morocco.

African football is littered with incidents of premature whistles, ghost goals and refereeing performances that require, more often than not, police intervention.

Historical injustices:

1994 (Tunisia): Zambia’s epic ‘tragedy to triumph’ story was almost completed until the final against Nigeria. Many Zambian faithful still point to the questionable refereeing of Mauritian Lim Kee Chong, claiming a clear penalty was denied to the Chipolopolo, which would have changed the 2-1 outcome that favoured the Super Eagles. 

1998 (Burkina Faso): Hosts and underdogs Burkina Faso were denied a seemingly legitimate penalty in the semi-final against Egypt, in a match the Pharaohs went on to win 2-0. This led to accusations that CAF ‘protected’ the bigger TV-revenue teams over the underdog hosts.

2000 (Ghana/Nigeria): The Victor Ikpeba ‘Ghost Goal’ remains perhaps one of the most famous injustices in African football. In the final penalty shootout between Nigeria and Cameroon, Ikpeba’s penalty hit the underside of the crossbar, bouncing behind the goal line. Tunisian referee Mourad Daami ruled it a miss. The Super Eagles lost the shootout and the image of Ikpeba holding his head in despair remains iconic to this day. 

2004 (Tunisia): In the semi-final between Nigeria and the Carthage Eagles, Nigerian fans accused the referee of being intimidated by the strong home crowd, as the stadium 60,000-seater stadium was packed to the brim. This argument was based on a series of fouls ignored in the box, allowing the hosts to advance on penalties. 

2006 (Egypt): A highly controversial penalty was awarded to Egypt in extra time against the Ivory Coast after Mohamed Barakat appeared to have gone to ground easily. Elephants’ captain Didier Drogba was pissed, but Mohamed Aboutrika wanted to hear none of that, stepping up and slotting the ball into the back of the net. The hosts won on penalties later, but the ‘home-ground whistling’ became the talk of the tournament.

2010 (Angola): In the semi-final between Egypt and Algeria, referee Coffi Codjia sent off three Algerian players, including Rafik Halliche, Nadir Belhadj, and goalkeeper Faouzi Chaouchi. Chaouchi appeared to have head-butted the referee but was only given a yellow at first, leading to claims that the official had completely lost his nerve under pressure. CAF, however, did not let it slide under the carpet. Following the tournament, Codjia was indefinitely suspended for failing to send off Chaouchi for the headbutt. 

2012 (Gabon/Equatorial Guinea): In the Tunisia-Ghana quarter-final, the north Africans felt cheated after what seemed like a clean goal was disallowed for a marginal offside. A blatant handball in the box by a Ghanaian defender also went unpunished. 

2015 (Equatorial Guinea): Referee Rajindraparsad Seechurn awarded hosts Equatorial Guinea a 93rd-minute penalty against Tunisia in the quarter-final, even though replays showed no contact. The Tunisian players attempted to assault the referee after losing the game in extra time, but CAF eventually banned Seechurn for six months, removing him from elite officiating panels. 

2021 (Cameroon - played in 2022): The Janny Sikazwe incident: Mali and Tunisia faced off in a group match, with centre referee Janny Sikazwe blowing the full-time whistle twice, once in the 85th minute and again in the 89th minute. Tunisia declared the situation a ‘farce’ and refused to return to the pitch 40 minutes later to play remaining 3 minutes, while trailing 1-0. 

2023 (Ivory Coast - played in 2024): Senegal also felt the sting of injustice in the Round of 16 against the Ivory Coast in 2024. Ismaïla Sarr was brought down in what looked like a clear penalty, but the centre referee did not bother to check with the Video Assistant Referee (VAR). Minutes later, Côte d’Ivoire were awarded a penalty, confirmed by VAR, to equalise.