CAF’s unexpected move to strip Senegal of the African Cup of Nations crown and award the 2023 title to runners-up Morocco has provoked widespread alarm across African football.
Senegal’s football federation said it will appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). Secretary general Abdoulaye Seydou Sow told state radio RTS they will “contact our lawyers and file an appeal. We will stop at nothing. The law is on our side,” calling CAF’s reversal “a disgrace for Africa.”
Retrospective removal of trophies is uncommon but not unprecedented: Juventus lost Serie A titles over match-fixing, Marseille had a Ligue 1 crown revoked after a 1993 bribery scandal, and in 2024 Romania was awarded a 3-0 win after Kosovo abandoned a match. Still, analysts say CAF’s reversal is seismic because the case appeared settled in January when both teams were fined and Morocco’s initial appeal was dismissed.
“It should have been decided faster,” said DW’s Ali Farhat, who attended the tournament and final. “The timing is really bad. If Senegal wins at CAS, CAF’s credibility will suffer further.” Former CAF media consultant Collins Okinyo warned the decision has placed African football under intense scrutiny and surprised many observers.
Not everyone sees the outcome as cynical. Moroccan researcher Moncef El Yazghi stressed the need to apply rules and create legal precedent. He argued that a ruling months after the tournament still matters because “history remembers titles and results rather than the surrounding circumstances,” and that allowing litigation discourages teams from abandoning matches to protest refereeing decisions.
Critics point to the chaotic final as the root cause of the controversy. Senegal walked off after a late goal was disallowed; play resumed and Morocco were later awarded an injury-time penalty, which they missed. Observers have questioned the referee’s management of the game and noted that several senior CAF officials were at the stadium, an element Okinyo said “deserves deeper reflection.”
The broader image of African football has already been dented by other recent disruptions, including the postponement of the women’s AFCON. “If you look at it critically, the value of African football will definitely go down with this,” Okinyo said.
CAF has not responded to questions from DW. El Yazghi rejected suggestions that Morocco exerted undue influence over the confederation, calling such claims incorrect and pointing out that Morocco has lost two women’s AFCON finals on home soil, including one decided by an obvious refereeing error. “Morocco simply exercised its right to litigation,” he said, adding that in the end CAS will have the final say.
With Senegal headed to the highest court in sport, many expect tougher scrutiny of how events unfolded and the decisions that led to the final’s collapse. For some, the most painful consequence is that the dispute overshadows an AFCON that many had hailed as a success for Morocco and the continent.
“The AFCON in Morocco was one of the best ever,” Okinyo said, praising improvements in facilities and organisation. “But the final was one of the worst things to happen. The impact is heavy. CAF, led by Patrice Motsepe, must find ways to restore confidence because the damage is significant.”
Others argue the episode could be framed positively as enforcement of rules and access to justice. “Why not say CAF implemented the law and provided fair litigation opportunities to all parties?” El Yazghi asked. The CAS appeal will ultimately determine whether that view prevails or whether the controversy leaves a longer-lasting stain on African football.