Man Posts Article 82, 83 and 84 of CAF Rule Book after Senegal Lost Championship Title to Morocco
- A man has reacted to CAF's decision to strip Senegal of their AFCON 2025 winner title weeks after the tournament ended
- Remember, Senegal was previously announced as winner of the tournament with Morocco being the first runner up
- In an unexpected turn of events, CAF cancelled the earlier result and instead of Senegal, proclaimed Morocco winner of the tournament
Weeks after the conclusion of the AFCON 2025 tournament, the Confederation of African Football took the unexpected step of revoking Senegal’s previously announced championship title.
In an abrupt reversal, Morocco was declared the winner, replacing Senegal, who had initially been celebrated as the tournament champions.
Source: Twitter
Man posts CAF's rule book on sanctions
This decision sparked mixed reactions on social media and among football fans throughout the continent.
Commenting on the situation, an X user identified as @nathan_quao explained that the CAF ruling was grounded in the competition’s official regulations, specifically citing Articles 82, 83, and 84.
He stated that these rules address situations in which a team fails to meet its obligations during the tournament, including withdrawal, non-attendance, or refusal to complete a match.
Article 82 stipulates that any team that withdraws from a fixture, fails to appear for a scheduled game, refuses to play, or leaves the pitch prematurely without referee approval is considered to have lost and is permanently eliminated from the current competition.
The article further extends to teams that have previously faced disqualification under CAF rulings.
Article 83 reinforces this by stating that teams not ready to commence play within fifteen minutes of the scheduled kick-off automatically forfeit the match.
Article 84 consolidates these provisions, indicating that any team breaching Articles 82 or 83 is permanently removed from the tournament.
In such cases, the team is deemed to have lost the match by a 3‑0 margin, unless the opposing side had already achieved a superior score at the point of interruption, in which instance that score is retained.
Source: Twitter
The article also allows the Organising Committee to take additional actions as necessary.
The application of these rules led CAF to overturn the tournament result, promoting Morocco from runner-up to champions.
Articles 82, 83 and 84 of the AFCON Regulations says:
"Article 82, "If, for any reason whatsoever, a team withdraws from the competition or does not report for a match, or refuses to play or leaves the ground before the regular end of the match without the authorisation of the referee, it shall be considered loser and shall be eliminated for good from the current competition. The same shall apply for the teams previously disqualified by decision of CAF.
"Article 83: States that a team not present and ready 15 minutes after the scheduled kick-off time forfeits the match."
"Article 84, "The team which contravenes the provisions of Articles 82 and 83 shall be eliminated for good from the competition. This team will lose its match by 3‑0 unless the opponent has scored a more advantageous result at the time when the match was interrupted; in this case, that score will be maintained. The Organising Committee may adopt further measures.”
Reactions as man speaks on CAF's rule book
Nigerians reacted massively in the comments section.
Prosper said:
"But Mr Quao the entire Senegal team didn't leave the pitch. There players on the pitch whiles some went to the dressing room. This rule must be apply on the pitch. At the time of the match the refreee has all the power to apply the rule."
Charway said:
"This has been my point all day. Sadio Mane was clearly on the pitch. The only time he left was to call his team mates. He clearly understood the rules."
Khobby said:
"Had the ref closed and reported forfeiture of the game by Senegal when they left the pitch on 18 January, we wouldn't have been here. Or he wasn't aware of this rule ?"
Lordlassey added:
"Withdrawals dont happen in a vaccum. WHAT was the circumstances leading to the withdrawal? Did Senegal not rescind its decision? Was the game not played and concluded? Was Senegal even heard in this appeal or it was Morrocco v CAF??"
See the post below:
Man backs CAF's AFCON winner decision
Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that a Nigerian man publicly praised CAF for the unexpected decision to strip AFCON 2025 winner, Senegal off their title.
Senegal, who previously held the title of the winner of the last AFCON competition, was disqualified from holding the title.
Source: Legit.ng
