The Confederation of African Football (CAF) Appeals Committee has issued a landmark ruling to disqualify the Senegalese national team from the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, awarding a 3-0 victory to Morocco.
This decision, announced Tuesday evening on the CAF official website, follows a successful appeal by the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) against an earlier January 2026 ruling by the CAF Disciplinary Committee. The appeals body determined that the conduct of the Senegalese team constituted a violation of Article 82 of the tournament regulations, justifying the application of Article 84 and the subsequent forfeiture of the match.
The ruling effectively overturns the previous disciplinary findings and establishes the 3-0 scoreline in favor of the FRMF while rejecting all other related requests or conclusions. Beyond the team disqualification, the CAF Appeals Board also addressed several specific incidents connected to the match during its Tuesday session. Among these was the case of Moroccan player Ismaël Saibari, whose appeal was partially accepted. While he was found guilty of misconduct under the CAF Disciplinary Code, his sanction was reduced to a two-match suspension, with one match suspended, and a previously imposed $100,000 fine was completely waived.
Furthermore, the committee reviewed various organizational and spectator-related incidents. The FRMF saw several of its fines reduced, including a decrease to $50,000 for issues involving ball boys and a reduction to $10,000 regarding a laser incident during the game. However, an appeal concerning interference near the VAR review area was dismissed, and the original $100,000 fine for that infraction was upheld. This comprehensive set of rulings marks a significant and controversial shift in the final standings and disciplinary record of the tournament.
AK/Sf/fss/abj/APA