Why the decision to strip Sénégal of the CAN 2025 title took so long

The Confédération africaine de football (CAF) has recently made the unprecedented move to revoke Sénégal’s victory in the Africa Cup of Nations (CAN), awarding the championship to Maroc instead. This major ruling comes a full two months after the final match was played. The shift follows a formal appeal by the Moroccan team, who hosted the tournament but were defeated on the pitch. While the decision itself is seismic, it is the late timing of the announcement that has raised the most questions.

The longest final in football history

The championship match, held on January 18, became the subject of a legal dispute the very next day when the Moroccan delegation filed a protest. Maroc argued their case based on articles 82 and 84 of the FIFA regulations, which stipulate that a team must lose by forfeit if they leave the field of play. Although an initial ruling resulted in a five-match suspension for the Senegalese coach, Pape Tiaw, the Moroccan side chose to contest that first verdict.

The final judgment was eventually delivered at 10:30 PM on a Tuesday, catching the entire sporting world off guard. Even the Moroccan federation seemed surprised by the timing, releasing a late-night statement clarifying that while they demanded the law be upheld, they did not wish to diminish the importance of athletic performance.

The Senegalese football federation reacted instantly to the news, announcing their intention to bring the case before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). Currently, the sports community is divided: one side emphasizes the absolute necessity of following tournament regulations, while the other maintains that a trophy earned on the grass should not be taken away two months later. This ongoing dispute has transformed the CAN 2025 final into what many are calling the longest-running match in the history of the sport.