Everyone knows a football match should take 90 minutes but, in its own way, the final of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) has been playing out for nearly nine months. Now, finally, one team or the other - either Morocco or Senegal - willl grab the winner. Only that moment of glory will come in a courtroom, not on the pitch.
On Thursday, Sport's highest legal authority - the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) - will hear Senegal's appeal against the decision to strip them of the title they thought they had won back in January against the hosts in Rabat. But those hungry for a resolution have already been warned it will not arrive on the same day. In front of 66,000 home fans creating an electric atmosphere inside Rabat's Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium, Morocco appeared set for a date with destiny as they chased their first Afcon title since 1976.
Instead, the final descended into chaos deep into stoppage time. With the match still goalless, Senegal thought Ismaila Sarr had scored a dramatic winner, only to discover that referee Jean Jacques Ndala had already blown for a Moroccan free-kick. The controversy deepened in the 98th minute when, after a VAR review, Ndala awarded Morocco a penalty.
Tempers boiled over on the touchline and in the stands. Senegal coach Pape Thiaw led some of his players and staff down the tunnel, while supporters clashed with security as order briefly collapsed. Play eventually resumed and, in the 124th minute, Morocco missed a golden chance to end their 50-year wait for continental glory when Real Madrid's Brahim Diaz failed to convert a penalty, chipping it 'Panenka' style into the grateful arms of goalkeeper Edouard Mendy.
Pape Gueye's extra-time strike then secured a 1-0 win for Senegal, who lifted the trophy for a second time. 'Shameful' and 'terrible look' - the chaos that marred Senegal's triumph Senegal decries imprisonment of fans after Afcon clashes Unsurprisingly the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FMRF) quickly lodged a complaint with the Confederation of African Football (Caf), arguing Senegal had breached competition regulations. Article 82, contained within a chapter titled "Withdrawals", states: "If, for any reason whatsoever, a team… leaves the ground before the regular end of the match without the authorisation of the referee" they shall be "considered the loser and shall be eliminated from the current competition". In March, a Caf appeals board agreed, ruling that Senegal had forfeited the match and awarding Morocco a 3-0 victory.
While there is precedent for Caf overturning results during Afcon and World Cup qualifying, others, including one former senior Caf official, argued that only the referee has the authority to abandon a match if a walk-off occurs. The FMRF said it was seeking the proper application of tournament regulations, but Senegal's federation (FSF) described the ruling as "unfair, unprecedented and unacceptable" and appealed to Cas. Afcon final 'deficiencies' dealt with - Motsepe Denounce 'abject' Afcon decision - senior Caf member Founded in 1984 and based in the Swiss city of Lausanne, Cas was set up as an independent legal body designed to settle disputes as global sport became more lucrative and, as a result, more litigious.
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