Morocco has announced it will challenge the Confederation of African Football’s disciplinary ruling following incidents during the final of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, arguing that both the verdict and the procedure were flawed.
The Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) confirmed it will lodge an appeal after CAF rejected Morocco’s complaint relating to the conduct of Senegalese players during the final.
Moroccan officials had argued that Senegal’s temporary abandonment of the pitch should have resulted in a forfeiture under Africa Cup of Nations regulations, a claim dismissed in CAF’s decision issued on Wednesday evening.
Instead, CAF’s Disciplinary Panel imposed a series of sanctions on Morocco, including suspensions, fines and federation-level penalties. Ismaël Saibari was handed a three-match suspension and fined $100,000 for unsporting behaviour, while Achraf Hakimi received a two-match ban.
The FRMF was also fined a combined $315,000. These penalties covered several incidents, including the conduct of ball boys, the use of laser devices by supporters during the match, and the intrusion of members of the Moroccan technical staff into the video assistant referee (VAR) area.
While acknowledging the ruling, Moroccan officials have taken issue with both its scope and its proportionality. According to Médias24, the federation considers the sanctions excessive and believes its own arguments were not given equal consideration during the disciplinary process.
Sources close to the case say the FRMF is particularly dissatisfied with how the hearings were conducted. Moroccan players were reportedly not heard by the Disciplinary Panel, while members of the Senegalese coaching staff were given the opportunity to present their accounts. The federation views this as a breach of procedural fairness.
The appeal will now be submitted to CAF’s Appeals Committee, where Morocco hopes to secure a review of both the disciplinary findings and the sanctions imposed.
The federation is seeking either a reduction in penalties or a reassessment of responsibility for the incidents that occurred during the final.
The case adds a further layer of controversy to the conclusion of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, a tournament already marked by intense rivalry and heightened tensions in its decisive moments.
For CAF, the appeal represents another test of its disciplinary framework, while for Morocco it is an attempt to defend its position and challenge a ruling it believes does not fully reflect events on the pitch.
