Senegal refuses to lose "Cannes Morocco"

Abdoulaye Fall, President of the Senegalese Football Federation, confirmed that “the Taranga Lions’ crowning of the African Cup does not face any legal threat,” despite the decision issued by the Appeals Committee of the Confederation of African Football, which officially ruled that Morocco was considered a winner in the final by 3-0 and Senegal was declared defeated by withdrawal.

Fall explained, in statements to the Senegalese News Agency, that the Senegalese Federation submitted a file to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, adding: “We have reached the merits of the appeals committee’s decision that we had previously waited for, and I am very relieved, because from a legal standpoint the title cannot be withdrawn from Senegal.”

The same official revealed that the Moroccan side “submitted four requests during the course of the conflict, which included confirming Senegal’s withdrawal, declaring it defeated, stripping it of the continental title, and then obliging it to return the cup and medals and award the coronation.”

Fall pointed out that the appeals committee only partially approved Senegal's defeat, but in return it rejected the requests to strip Senegal of the title and return the cup and rewards, highlighting that the body considered itself incompetent in some aspects related to these points.

The same spokesman added: “The withdrawal of the title was rejected, as was the request to retrieve the cup, medals and grants,” stressing that these data mean that “Senegal remains the African champion legally.”

The President of the Senegalese Federation concluded his speech by downplaying the impact of the decision that was fair to Morocco, saying that what remained was “secondary,” adding: “The most important thing is that we won on the field, we have the cup, and we celebrated it, and there is no real legal threat to this coronation.”

On the other hand, Fawzi Lakjaa confirmed, in recent statements, that Morocco has a “comprehensive and strong” file to defend its right to win the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, stressing that the legal data and field facts are in favor of the Moroccan case before the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Lakjaa explained that the Kingdom relies on “conclusive and documented arguments” regarding the events of the final match, highlighting that the various details of the incident were carefully documented, whether through official reports or video recordings, in full respect of the applicable legal procedures.