On Tuesday evening one of the most bizarre stories in football emerged, as the Confederation of African Football (CAF) awarded victory to Morocco in the African Cup of Nations, nearly two months after the final. The game ended 1-0 to Senegal after extra time, but Morocco have been awarded the victory after Senegal were sanctioned for their players leaving the pitch.
Morocco were given a golden chance to win AFCON on home soil when a controversial penalty was awarded in their favour in stoppage time. Real Madrid’s Brahim Diaz stepped up to take it, but saw his Panenka penalty saved, and four minutes into extra time, Villarreal’s Pape Gueye fired the winner into the top corner.
However before Brahim’s penalty was taken, the game was delayed by nearly 20 minutes, as the Senegalese team left the pitch in protest at the referee’s decision. CAF announced that due to articles 82 and 84 of their regulations, where a team will be considered to have forfeited the match if the players leave the pitch before the end of the game without permission from the referee, and as such, have awarded a 3-0 victory to Morocco. As an aside, Morocco’s Ismael Saibari has been fined €44k for his behaviour, and the Moroccan Football Federation have also been fined €139k for various incidents in the final.
Senegal to launch appeal against decision
Since, Senegal have confirmed they will launch an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). “We are outraged. There is a meeting of the CAF Executive Committee on March 29th; it’s going to be World War III,” one official told L’Equipe (via Marca). The Senegalese Football Federation confirmed they would be appealing the decision, and said the following as part of its statement.
“The FRMF wishes to reiterate that its approach was never intended to question the sporting performance of the teams participating in this competition, but solely to request the application of the regulations. The Federation reaffirms its commitment to respect for the rules, the clarity of the competitive framework, and the stability of African competitions.”
Communiqué de la FSF relatif à la notification de la décision rendue le 17 mars 2026 par le Jury d’Appel de la Confédération Africaine de Football (CAF). 👇 pic.twitter.com/b0xxQsMQWU
— Equipe du Sénégal (@GaindeYi) March 18, 2026
Brahim Diaz seen reacting in real time
The news broke while many players and most eyes were on the Champions League Round of 16 ties, including for Brahim. The Real Madrid star was seen receiving the news on the bench at the Etihad, having come off in their 5-1 aggregate win over Manchester City, looking pleased but surprised.
This is the first time Brahim Diaz got the information that Morocco has been awarded the AFCON trophy, priceless reaction
— Miss ADEL🦋🦚🌹 (@a_derll) March 18, 2026
Pathe Ciss takes to social media
Rayo Vallecano central midfielder Pathe Ciss, part of the Senegal team, took to social media to give his thoughts on the decision. Next to four pictures celebrating Senegal’s victory, he had the following to say.
Vous pouvez ajouter encore 3 buts en faveur des lloron😂✌🏿
🇸🇳🇸🇳🇸🇳🇸🇳🇸🇳🇸🇳🇸🇳🇸🇳🇸🇳🇸🇳🇸🇳🇸🇳🇸🇳🇸🇳🇸🇳🇸🇳🇸🇳🇸🇳🇸🇳🇸🇳🇸🇳🇸🇳🇸🇳🇸🇳🇸🇳🇸🇳🇸🇳🇸🇳🇸🇳🇸🇳🇸🇳CHAMPIONS D’AFRIQUE 2 0 2 5🇸🇳🇸🇳🇸🇳🇸🇳🇸🇳🇸🇳🇸🇳🇸🇳🇸🇳🇸🇳🇸🇳🇸🇳🇸🇳🇸🇳🇸🇳🇸🇳🇸🇳🇸🇳🇸🇳🇸🇳🇸🇳🇸🇳🇸🇳🇸🇳🇸🇳🇸🇳🇸🇳🇸🇳🇸🇳🇸🇳🇸🇳🇸🇳🇸🇳🇸🇳🇸🇳🇸🇳🇸🇳🇸🇳 pic.twitter.com/ekIftZWsI1— Pathé Ciss 🇸🇳 (@pathe_22) March 17, 2026
“You can add three more goals in favour of the crybaby.”
