Sports marketing expert Nasser Njyoya believes that Senegal was fortunate to avoid suspension from the next Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) following the Confederation of African Football (CAF) decision to strip them of the 2025 AFCON title. This analysis follows CAF's decision to declare Morocco the winner of AFCON 2025 after incidents that occurred during the final against Senegal.
According to CFOOT media, Njyoya based his analysis on similar cases in international football. He mentioned the suspension of AC Milan from the Champions League in 1992 after a lighting problem during a match against Olympique de Marseille in 1991. He also cited the South Africa-Senegal match in 2016, which was replayed by FIFA's decision after validation by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
Njyoya stressed that CAF's regulations are clear and that the decision to withdraw the title from Senegal is justified. He added that even if such a situation had occurred with Cameroon, he would have understood the decision, even without approving it.
The AFCON 2025 final between Senegal and Morocco was marked by incidents. Senegalese players temporarily left the field to protest a refereeing decision after a penalty was awarded to Morocco in added time. CAF considered that Senegal had violated Articles 82 and 84 of its regulations by leaving the field, leading to a forfeit defeat. Morocco was declared winner with a score of 3-0.
The Senegalese Football Federation (FSF) has rejected CAF's decision and announced its intention to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). The FSF denounced a decision as "unfair, unprecedented and unacceptable".
Several sources report that the CAF Appeals Board justified its decision by applying Articles 82 and 84 of the competition regulations regarding the interruption of the match. Article 82 states that a team that refuses to play or leaves the field before the end of the match without the referee's permission is considered to have forfeited the match.
As a result, Senegal was stripped of its AFCON 2025 title, and Morocco was proclaimed the winner. The Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) stated that its approach was solely aimed at enforcing the competition regulations.
CAF's decision has provoked strong reactions, and the case could see further developments before CAS.
