African Football Discussion Thread Current Topic: 👉 AFCON 2025/2026

[SatoPrincess]

From what I can see on the internet, many Moroccans are very happy with CAF’s decision and who can blame them. To be fair, wasn’t the NFF pushing a petition against DR Congo some months and some Nigerians were in full support of the move?

The Captain of Morocco national football team, Achraf Hakimi, has rejected the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations 2025 title, insisting Morocco did not deserve it after defeat.

The Paris Saint-Germain defender said neither he nor teammates should accept the trophy, regardless of any decision by the Confederation of African Football.

Achraf Hakimi rejected the trophy and is also encouraging other players to do the same. His reaction would anger many Moroccans because I also saw some vidoe where they were celebrating. I saw some fans waving the Morrocan nation flag and sitting on car windows while the car was moving.

Hakimi deserves some respect because his action is extraordinary.

https://pmnewsnigeria.com/2026/03/21/hakimi-rejects-afcon-title-backs-senegals-victory-despite-caf-ruling/ 

Bit-Bender mentioned that earlier. We cannot confirm the authenticity of that report because there is no evidence on his socials that supports the claim that Hakimi actually said that. In my opinion, it doesn’t matter what Hakimi said or didn’t say, he doesn’t deserve any respect. Actions speak louder than words, and his character on the pitch showed he lacks the spirit of sportsmanship.

[Marykeller]

The scandal over Senegal’s title continues to gain momentum.

The Guinean Football Federation has called on CAF to review the results of the 1976 Africa Cup of Nations. Guinea stated that similar disciplinary standards should be applied to earlier games in cases where teams left the pitch during play.
The Guinean Football Federation referred to the decisive 1976 clash between Morocco and Guinea, when the competition was held as a four-team round-robin. In the final game, Morocco needed a draw, while Guinea needed a victory to claim the trophy. Guinea took the lead in the 33rd minute thanks to a goal by Cherif Souleymane. After that, the Moroccan players left the pitch for 10-15 minutes to protest the referee's decision, but later returned to continue the match. Ahmed Makrouh equalized in the 86th minute, and the match eventually ended in a 1-1 draw.
Morocco finished top of the group with five points and were crowned winners, while Guinea finished in second place.

https://www.beinsports.com/en-us/soccer/africa-cup-of-nations/articles/guinea-demands-caf-return-the-1976-afcon-title-after-morocco-controversy-2026-03-20

If there was already a similar case of something happening like this before and Morocco the country that is now favored, should have been punished long ago but escaped punishment, then the same judgment should be able to be applied now considering that what is good for the goose is also good for the gander. I now think it is very unfair for CAF to want to choose a different action without reviewing how they have treated similar cases before. Senegal should get a fairer judgement.

This has turned out to be a delicate matter, which CAF should be very mindful of, because whatever approach CAF takes in this case, the case of Senegal will have to be looked into the same way, and the Senegalese will like CAF to strip the Moroccans of the AFCON trophy of 1976, to give it to them. Which will then become a failed system and judgement that CAF has been existing under the pretense of making African football great with no corruption in it

[Mayor of ogba]

I saw this picture as I was scrolling through on Facebook and it made me laugh so hard that I fell from the chair I was sitting on. Since Senegal has made it very clear to CAF that they are giving Morocco the African Cup of Nations to Morocco, I think CAF should design another African Cup of Nations just like the way the guy on the picture above is doing if they want peace to resign.

[SatoPrincess]

This has turned out to be a delicate matter, which CAF should be very mindful of, because whatever approach CAF takes in this case, the case of Senegal will have to be looked into the same way, and the Senegalese will like CAF to strip the Moroccans of the AFCON trophy of 1976, to give it to them. Which will then become a failed system and judgement that CAF has been existing under the pretense of making African football great with no corruption in it

I think CAF is more scared of Morocco withdrawing their support from CAF competitions more than anything. This should be a wake up call to other African countries that need to invest more in sports. If Senegal had as much influence in African football, CAF wouldn’t have entertained Morocco’s petition.

[Slow death]

I think CAF is more scared of Morocco withdrawing their support from CAF competitions more than anything. This should be a wake up call to other African countries that need to invest more in sports. If Senegal had as much influence in African football, CAF wouldn’t have entertained Morocco’s petition.

I believe it's not just about influence; the main point is:

Did Senegal break the rules in the AFCON finals?

I like Senegal and I don't like the corruption that has been happening on my African continent. But for CAF to have made such a decision, I believe they used strong reasons that could hardly be contested in other instances. CAF wouldn't be naive or stupid enough to take the cup away from Senegal if they didn't find something serious in Senegal's conduct during the game.

Even if Morocco bribed everyone at CAF, CAF would still have to have proof that Senegal broke some serious rule that justifies this decision, and unfortunately the Senegalese players broke rules because they didn't stay calm, they didn't know how to use their heads properly during the game, and therefore they can't complain now.

I know it may seem unfair, because a lot of time has passed, but when dealing with corrupt people, you can't break a rule they made, because they used it against you. CAF says that the Senegalese players broke articles 82 and 83, and Senegal was punished for violating article 82, which states that if a team leaves the field without the referee's permission, they will be eliminated. There's no way to disagree with that article.

[Roseline492]

I saw this picture as I was scrolling through on Facebook and it made me laugh so hard that I fell from the chair I was sitting on. Since Senegal has made it very clear to CAF that they are giving Morocco the African Cup of Nations to Morocco, I think CAF should design another African Cup of Nations just like the way the guy on the picture above is doing if they want peace to resign.

that's a very mockery joke the guy is giving to Senegal, is not necessary for CAF to design a trophy for them because if they return the winners cup they would in turn get the second place cup they gave to Morocco so actually they also have a trophy from the AFCON but the difference is that they didn't get the trophy they fairly won. Apart from the curving shapes, the tiny middle and the symbol of ball at the top of it, it doesn't look like the AFCON trophy. Meanwhile has Senegal returned the AFCON Cup or is it still on their possession? Because since the verdict I have not really heard anything about Senegal regarding the cup.

[Spaceman1000$]

This has turned out to be a delicate matter, which CAF should be very mindful of, because whatever approach CAF takes in this case, the case of Senegal will have to be looked into the same way, and the Senegalese will like CAF to strip the Moroccans of the AFCON trophy of 1976, to give it to them. Which will then become a failed system and judgement that CAF has been existing under the pretense of making African football great with no corruption in it

I think CAF is more scared of Morocco withdrawing their support from CAF competitions more than anything. This should be a wake up call to other African countries that need to invest more in sports. If Senegal had as much influence in African football, CAF wouldn’t have entertained Morocco’s petition.

God bless you for your foresight in understanding the politics that is underplay. CAF is really scared about Morocco withdrawing their support from CAF competition's, that's absolutely the truth. I also heard that the Women's competition also coming up is been hosted by Morocco, so the patronage on the side Morocco to CAF has been high, so am believing that CAF needed to pacify he who brings the honeycomb.

[Kelward]

This has turned out to be a delicate matter, which CAF should be very mindful of, because whatever approach CAF takes in this case, the case of Senegal will have to be looked into the same way, and the Senegalese will like CAF to strip the Moroccans of the AFCON trophy of 1976, to give it to them. Which will then become a failed system and judgement that CAF has been existing under the pretense of making African football great with no corruption in it

I think CAF is more scared of Morocco withdrawing their support from CAF competitions more than anything. This should be a wake up call to other African countries that need to invest more in sports. If Senegal had as much influence in African football, CAF wouldn’t have entertained Morocco’s petition.

This is a mockery of African football because I'm wondering if there was actually a law that prohibits players walking out of the pitch while match is ongoing and why did the referee allow match to continue after they came back to continue playing, maybe the referee didn't know that rule. Why didn't CAF cancel the outcome of the game immediately or a few days after, they had to wait for a protest from Morocco to wake up to their duties, this means that CAF is not organized or they want to dance to the tunes of Morocco.

Who would blame guinea for raising their own dust about how a Moroccoan football team in the 70s also did the same thing that they are crying fowl over, I hope that CAF will also do justice and strip Morocco of the title that they won that year. Who knows what other African countries will dig out more to seek justice from CAF. I hope this wouldn't rubbish the reputation of CAF it won't be good for African football.