Morocco Football Federation Releases Strong Statement After CAF Stripped Senegal of AFCON Title

• The Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FMRF) has published a statement after CAF stripped Senegal of the AFCON 2025 title
• The FRMF appealed the earlier verdict of the Confederation of African Football passed on January 28
• The North Africans have shared an update on the upcoming Women's Africa Cup of Nations

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The Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FMRF) has issued a statement following the decision of the CAF Appeal Board to strip Senegal of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) title.

Senegal had defeated Morocco 1-0 in the final of the 35th edition of the tournament, played at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium on January 18.

The match was overshadowed by several controversies, including the disruptions caused by ball boys targeting Edouard Mendy, questionable officiating, and a 15-minute walk-off by the Senegalese team.

A few weeks after the tournament, the African football governing body imposed both sporting and financial sanctions on the two teams, including the suspension of Achraf Hakimi, the 2025 Africa Player of the Year, per CAF.

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Morocco hails CAF

The Royal Moroccan Football Federation has commended the leadership of CAF for adhering to the framework of the African Cup of Nations.

In a tweet on X, the FMRF said the national team is committed to maintaining their position and application of the competition governing rules.

The statement revealed that the North African team had appealed the earlier judgement after discovering loopholes in the judgement.

The statement read:

"Following the decision of the Appeals Committee of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), the Royal Moroccan Football Federation welcomes and appreciates the ruling, which reinforces respect for regulations and ensures the necessary stability for the smooth running of international competitions.

"The Royal Moroccan Football Federation reiterates that, since the incidents that occurred during the match between the national team and its Senegalese counterpart, which led to its suspension, it has been committed to maintaining its position and insisting on the strict application of the competition's governing rules.

"With the issuance of the disciplinary committee's decision of CAF, which the Royal Moroccan Football Federation had previously appealed, CAF acknowledged that the applicable regulations had not been respected by all parties.

"The Royal Moroccan Football Federation has always been committed to adhering to the regulations governing dispute resolution in competitions, within the established legal framework.

"It has presented its observations and participated in all relevant hearings, consistently striving to ensure that its rights are respected and that competitions proceed in a fair and orderly manner.

The Royal Moroccan Football Federation said the decision would set a precedence for future occurrence. It added:

"This decision will likely contribute to clarifying the rules and procedures applied in similar cases, and further enhance the credibility and organization of African football.

"The Royal Moroccan Football Federation affirms that it will continue to advocate for the strict and fair application of regulations in all competitions it participates in, at both continent and international levels," per GOAL.

FRMF said they are awaiting the hosting of the 2030 FIFA World Cup and the Women's Africa Cup of Nations. The Federation said:

"It looks forward with confidence to upcoming sporting events, particularly the FIFA World Cup and the Africa Cup of Nations for women next summer.

"Finally, the Royal Moroccan Football Federation expresses its appreciation to all national teams that participated in the Women's Africa Cup of Nations hosted in Morocco, which marked a significant milestone in the development of African football."

Morocco reacts to CAF's ruling

Legit.ng previously reported that the Moroccan FA reacted to the latest CAF ruling, which awards the Atlas Lions the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations title.

Morocco acknowledged the judgment, but refused to comment on the broader implications until it had sat with its governing body before announcing a decision.