HIBAPRESS – Sports
The decision by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to strip the Senegalese national team of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations title and award it to Morocco sparked a wide wave of reaction in the Senegalese media, which described the move as an unprecedented "football earthquake" in the history of the competition.
Senegalese media: "An unprecedented legal earthquake"
The media in Senegal focused on the shocking nature of the decision, with the newspaper "Dakaractu" considering what happened to be a dangerous precedent in African football, and described the ruling issued by the Appeals Committee as a "legal earthquake" that overturned the balance of the tournament entirely.
The newspaper explained that the committee relied on articles from the competition regulations to confirm that the behavior of the Senegalese national team during the final constituted a serious violation, which led to the Senegalese federation being held fully responsible, and thus imposing the maximum possible penalty, which is losing the match.
"Stunning shock" after on-field crowning
For its part, the newspaper "Wiwsport" considered the decision to be a "stunning shock", especially since it came only two months after Senegal won the title on the field.
It highlighted that what happened is an unprecedented decision, as a title that was achieved through sports was withdrawn due to what it described as administrative and legal procedures, noting that the African Union accepted Morocco's appeal and ruled that Senegal lost by withdrawal (3-0).
A decision that overturns the history of the tournament
The Senegalese media agreed that this decision radically changed the course of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, after the title moved from Senegal to Morocco by an administrative decision.
The reports also stressed that this incident will remain one of the most controversial moments in the history of the "CAN", in light of its significant repercussions on the image of the competition and on the future of refereeing and legal decisions within African football.
