Senegal Asked to Send Petition as CAF Strips West Africans of AFCON Title, Crowns Morocco Champions
- CAF dramatically stripped Senegal of the AFCON 2025 title and declared Morocco champions after a controversial ruling
- Public commentator Japheth Joshua Omojuwa called the decision an injustice and urged Senegal to contest it
- Amid surprise in several quarters, Senegal plans to appeal CAF's ruling at the Court of Arbitration for Sport
Legit.ng journalist Ridwan Adeola Yusuf has over 9 years of experience covering football and sports in Nigeria and Africa.
Rabat, Morocco - Popular public commentator Japheth Omojuwa has weighed in on the decision of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to strip Senegal of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) title.
Legit.ng had reported how Morocco were crowned AFCON 2025 winners after a major ruling on Tuesday, March 17, overturned Senegal’s victory two months after the final.
Source: Twitter
CAF Appeal Board ruled that Senegal had been stripped of their title for walking off the pitch in protest at Morocco being awarded a late penalty.
After CAF's dramatic ruling, Senegal are "declared to have forfeited" with the "result of the match being recorded as 3-0 in favour" of Morocco, who are now celebrating their second AFCON title.
CAF's announcement has triggered a wave of strong reactions online.
Joining the discussion, Omojuwa, 41, expressed shock and decried what he described as an injustice.
He wrote on his verified X (formerly Twitter) page on Tuesday night, March 17:
"Senegal should petition this to the highest levels. Let the odour of this mess extend as far as possible. This match was settled on the day. Senegal won. Morocco will never feel like they won this because they didn’t."
Morocco reacts to CAF's ruling
Meanwhile, the Royal Moroccan Football Federation has swiftly responded to the decision by CAF to award them the AFCON 2025 title, following a ruling that declared Senegal to have forfeited the final.
In its statement, the Moroccan federation said it “takes note” of the decision, emphasising that its appeal was not intended to question the performance of the teams but to ensure the proper application of the competition’s regulations.
The statement partly reads:
"The federation stressed that its position was solely based on respecting the rules. Our approach has never been to question the sporting performance of the participating teams."
Senegal to appeal AFCON ruling
For Senegalese football authorities, the plan is to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) following the country’s stripping of the AFCON title on Tuesday, March 17, 2026.
Senegal described CAF's ruling as "unjust, unprecedented and unacceptable."
Source: Getty Images
Expert slams CAF decision
Wading into the matter, Femi Fabunmi, a Lagos-based sports journalist, described CAF's decision as "ridiculous."
Fabunmi was unequivocal that trophies must be decided on the pitch, warning CAF not to destroy the image of African football.
He told Legit.ng:
"What CAF did is simply ridiculous. According to FIFA’s Laws of the Game (specifically Law 5), the referee has the authority to decide whether a match has been abandoned, including situations where a team refuses to continue playing. Specifically, in 5.2, the law says “the decisions of the referee regarding facts connected with play, including whether or not a goal is scored and the result of the match, are final. So why does CAF think they can overrule the governing framework?
"FIFA regulations also allow the referee to use discretion to give time for players to return to the pitch. Which is exactly what happened. What changed? If my memory serves me right, during the AFCON finals, at no point did all of Senegal’s players leave the field. At every point there was at least one player standing on the pitch. That alone weakens every argument of total abandonment. In fact, historically, teams have walked off temporarily, and those game were later resumed. What makes this any different?"
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- Lamine Mboup: Tragedy as former Senegalese star dies two months after 2025 AFCON
- Victor Moses: Super Eagles legend and AFCON winner stranded in Dubai amid Iran-Israel war
Romain Saiss reacts to Diaz's penalty
Legit.ng reported that Romain Saiss revealed what he said before Brahim Diaz attempted a Panenka penalty in the 2025 AFCON final.
The former captain, who retired after the tournament, admitted that he was surprised his compatriot went for a Panenka instead of burying the penalty.
Source: Legit.ng
