The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has handed Egypt midfielders Marwan Attia and Salah Mohsen a two-match suspension following their conduct toward the referee during the AFCON 2025 semifinal against Senegal.
The ruling will take effect immediately, meaning both players will miss Egypt’s third-place playoff against Nigeria. Egyptian media reports say the team was notified of the ban less than 24 hours before kickoff.
The timing of the decision has reportedly angered Egypt’s coaching staff, led by head coach Hossam Hassan, who felt the late notification disrupted their preparations for the match.
Egypt is set to face Nigeria today at Casablanca’s Mohammed V Stadium, with the winner claiming the bronze medal in the tournament.
According to Cairo 24, the coaching team learned of the suspensions shortly before the final training session, leaving little time to adjust tactics or squad selection.
Egypt’s hopes of reaching the final were dashed after a 1-0 defeat to Senegal in the semifinals, with Sadio Mané scoring the decisive goal.
Nigeria reached the third-place match after losing to Morocco in the other semifinal, which was decided by a penalty shootout.
The third-place playoff kicks off at 6:00 p.m. local time, while the AFCON final is scheduled for Sunday night in Rabat.
