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AFCON: Morocco Crowned Champions, Senegal Stripped Off Title

Published

1 month ago

March 18, 2026

Editor

Host country Morocco has been officially crowned champions of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations after the CAF Appeal Board overturned the result of the final against Senegal.

CAF disclosed this in an X post that the decision comes after scenes in Rabat where the Lions of Teranga walked off the pitch in protest, leading to a retrospective 3-0 forfeit victory for the host nation.

CAF said the Senegalese team is stripped of the trophy after final protest in a detailed statement, the board also confirmed that the appeal lodged by the FRMF was “declared admissible in form and the appeal is upheld.”

The ruling effectively strips Senegal of what would have been its second continental crown, rewarding the hosts for a match that descended into chaos during extra time.

The cause of the controversy came during a heated moment deep into stoppage time when Morocco’s Brahim Diaz went down in the box.

While the referee initially waved play on, a VAR review resulted in a penalty kick for the hosts. This sparked a furious reaction from the Senegalese bench, with head coach Pape Thiaw instructing his players to return to the dressing room in a protest that lasted several minutes.

The CAF Appeal Board found that “the conduct of the Senegal team falls within the scope of Articles 82 and 84 of the Regulations of the Africa Cup of Nations.” By leaving the field of play, Senegal was deemed to have infringed on the regulation resulting in an administrative 3-0 defeat.

“The ruling sets aside the previous CAF Disciplinary Board decision and confirms that the protest lodged by Morocco has been fully upheld.

See full CAF statement below:
The CAF Appeal Board decided that in application of Article 84 of the Regulations of the CAF Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), the Senegal National Team is declared to have forfeited the Final Match of the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) Morocco 2025 (“the Match”), with the result of the Match being recorded as 3–0 in favour of the Fédération Royale Marocaine de Football (FRMF).

The Confédération Africaine de Football (“CAF”) Appeal Board decided today that in application of Article 84 of the Regulations of the CAF Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), the Senegal National Team is declared to have forfeited the Final Match of the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) Morocco 2025 (“the Match”), with the result of the Match being recorded as 3–0 in favour of the Fédération Royale Marocaine de Football (FRMF).

On the appeal by the FRMF regarding the application of Articles 82 and 84 of the Regulations of the CAF Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), the CAF Appeal Board made the following rulings:

– “The appeal lodged by the Fédération Royale Marocaine de Football (FRMF) is declared admissible in form and the appeal is upheld.

– The CAF Disciplinary Board decision is set aside.

– The CAF Appeal Board further finds that the conduct of the Senegal team falls within the scope of Articles 82 and 84 of the Regulations of the Africa Cup of Nations.

– The protest lodged by the Fédération Royale Marocaine de Football (FRMF) is upheld.

– It is declared that the Fédération Sénégalaise de Football (FSF), through the conduct of its team, infringed Article 82 of the Regulations of the Africa Cup of Nations.

– In application of Article 84 of the Regulations of the Africa Cup of Nations, the Senegal team is declared to have forfeited the match, with the result recorded as 3–0 in favour of the Fédération Royale Marocaine de Football (FRMF).

– All other motions or prayers for relief are dismissed.”

The CAF Appeal Board also ruled that:

– “The appeal lodged in respect of Mr Ismaël Saibari (Player No. 11 of the Morocco National Team) is partially upheld.

– The CAF Appeal Board confirms the finding that Mr Ismaël Saibari (Player No. 11 of the Morocco National Team) committed misconduct in violation of Articles 82 and 83(1) of the CAF Disciplinary Code.

– The sanction imposed on Mr Ismaël Saibari (Player No. 11 of the Morocco National Team) is amended to a suspension of two (2) official CAF matches, of which one (1) match is suspended.

– The fine of USD 100,000 imposed on Mr Ismaël Saibari (Player No. 11 of the Morocco National Team) is set aside.

– The appeal lodged in respect of the ball boys incident is partially upheld.

– The CAF Appeal Board confirms the finding that the Fédération Royale Marocaine de Football (FRMF) is responsible for the conduct of the ball boys during the aforementioned match.

– The fine imposed on the Fédération Royale Marocaine de Football (FRMF) in respect of the ball boys incident is reduced to USD 50,000.

– The appeal lodged in respect of the interference around the OFR/VAR review area is dismissed.

– The fine of USD 100,000 imposed on the Fédération Royale Marocaine de Football (FRMF) in respect of the interference around the OFR/VAR review area is confirmed.

– The appeal lodged in respect of the laser incident is partially upheld.

– The fine imposed on the Fédération Royale Marocaine de Football (FRMF) in respect of the laser incident is reduced to USD 10,000.

– All other motions or prayers for relief are dismissed.”

Related Topics:#AFCON #Super Eagles Champions Morocco Senegal

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Fernandez Named In Scottish Premiership Team Of The Season

Published

5 days ago

April 17, 2026

Editor

Emmanuel Fernandez has been named in the Scottish Premiership Team of the Season, according to DAILY POST.

Fernandez was recognised by his fellow professionals for an outstanding campaign at the the heart of the Rangers defence.

The 24-year-old has made 28 appearances across all competitions for the Light Blues.

The centre-back is the only Rangers players in the selection.

He arrived the Ibrox from English League One club, Peterborough United last summer.

The defender also made his debut for Nigeria against Iran last month.

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Super Eagles: How I Chose Nigeria Over England – Iwobi Opens Up

Published

5 days ago

April 17, 2026

Editor

Alex Iwobi, has talked about how he chose to play for the Super Eagles.

On the Beast Mode On podcast, Iwobi talked about how former Arsenal coach Arsene Wenger told him to think carefully about his choices, like maybe waiting to play for England’s senior team.

Although Iwobi played for England in various youth teams, his development slowed because he didn’t get much chance to play for Arsenal’s main team.

However, his career changed when Nigeria invited him to join their Olympic team. After talking with his family, Iwobi decided to look into the opportunity.

He said, “I began playing for Nigeria when I was 19. I was playing for the England Under-16, Under-17, and Under-18 teams, but then my opportunities slowed down because I wasn’t getting regular first-team action at Arsenal, which is tough.

“Everyone else who played for the England U21 team was usually playing first-team football in the Championship or League One regularly, starting games and building their reputation. And I wasn’t really that person back then.

“Then I started playing for Arsenal. At that time, Gareth Southgate was the manager of the U21 team. The Arsenal first-team manager talked to him and said, ‘We are considering bringing you up to the first team, but we want you to play for the U21s.’

“That’s when Nigeria got in touch, saying they wanted him to play in the Olympics. I talked to my dad and uncle, and they said at least give Nigeria a try. If you don’t enjoy the training or the facilities, you can just say you tried it out.”

The former Everton midfielder talked about his first experiences in the Nigerian team, mentioning that the conditions were basic but that he felt a strong sense of being part of the group.

“I then went to Nigeria… you have to wash your own kit. The pitch was half grass, and the AstroTurf was outside the playing area, as if it had just been set up. The coach, if you make one bad pass, he’ll say, ‘What’s wrong with you now?’ I remember one guy passed the ball off the pitch and they made him run two laps. I was thinking, “This is mad.”

“I was having a good time. The food was clearly jollof rice; we had yam and egg for breakfast. I just felt I was at home. I hadn’t even established a reputation at Arsenal, but they already knew about me. I was stopped at the airport and celebrated. The love for the game was high.”

The key moment happened when he got called up for a match against Egypt.
Wenger, according to Iwobi, let him make the final decision.

“I was still working on getting the FIFA clearance sorted. I wasn’t able to play in the knockout games to get a spot in the Olympics, but I still went to watch and be part of the team. The away fans came with instruments and started making a lot of noise. I felt like I was back home—this is where I’m meant to be,” he said.

“There came a point when I was needed for Nigeria’s senior team, so they invited me to play against Egypt. Wenger said, ‘What do you want to do? You can delay it so you can think about England, or you can go and represent Nigeria.’

“Because of the experience I had, I wanted to go and represent Nigeria. He (Wenger) said they would support me and wished me all the best.

“I enjoy playing for England because the team has a strict system, stays disciplined, and has some of the top players in the world. But Nigeria is always fun. You never know if something will turn out well or not.”

Iwobi first played for the Super Eagles in October 2015, during a friendly match against the DR Congo national team in Visé, Belgium.

Since that time, he has become an important player for Nigeria, playing 98 matches and scoring 10 goals.

Sports

EPL: Arteta Confirms Two Arsenal Players That Will Miss Man City Clash

Published

5 days ago

April 17, 2026

Editor

Arsenal manager, Mikel Arteta, has revealed Bukayo Saka will be unavailable for their Premier League trip to Manchester City on Sunday.

Saka has been out of action since the Gunners lost 2-0 to the Gunners in the Carabao Cup on March 22.

The 24-year-old winger is yet to recover from a suspected achilles problem and will not face City this weekend.

Mikel Merino will also not make a return from a broken foot, even though he is no longer wearing a protective boot.

“Bukayo is out. That is for sure,” Arteta told reporters on Friday.

“With B, we are handling it to protect the play first of all and then to perform as well as he possibly can.

“He’s just starting to do some stuff so let’s see that progression, how quickly we can go through it and then wait. But at the moment it’s not available.

“Bukayo is out, that’s for sure, Mikel is out as well.

“We will have a solution, whatever happens. We are so used to this, this season. Whatever happens, we will have the right solution.”