2025 AFCON final fallout: Ball boy penalty over ‘towel incident’ reduced in major CAF U-turn

The CAF Appeals Board has significantly reduced the record-breaking financial penalties previously imposed on the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) following the contentious 2025 Africa Cup of Nations final.

In a series of landmark rulings released on Wednesday, the board slashed the fine originally levied for the misconduct of ball boys from an unprecedented $200,000 to just $50,000, signaling a major shift in how the governing body views the chaotic events that unfolded in Casablanca.

The controversy surrounding the ball boys became a focal point of Senegal’s formal complaints during the final against Morocco. Match officials and observers reported that the ball boys systematically interfered with the flow of the game, either by withholding the ball when Senegal had momentum or by throwing multiple balls onto the pitch simultaneously to disrupt active play.

While the Disciplinary Board initially sought to make an example of the hosts with a massive six-figure penalty, the Appeals Board ruled that the $200,000 fine was “excessive and lacked a proportional legal basis” within the existing CAF disciplinary framework for non-player interference.

This reduction in collective fines coincides with the total exoneration of Moroccan midfielder Ismael Saibari regarding his personal financial penalty.

Saibari, who was at the center of the “towel incident” involving the Senegal goalkeeper, saw his $100,000 individual fine set aside completely. Furthermore, his initial three-match suspension was reduced to a two-match ban, with one of those matches being suspended.

The board concluded that while Saibari’s meddling with the goalkeeper’s equipment was unsporting, it did not meet the threshold for the severe financial and athletic sanctions originally imposed.

The softening of these penalties arrives alongside the definitive ruling that Morocco is the official winner of the 2025 AFCON.

The Appeals Board upheld the decision to strip Senegal of the title after their players walked off the pitch in protest, declaring the match a forfeit. While some fines remained—including a $100,000 penalty for VAR interference and a reduced $10,000 fine for the use of lasers by fans—the overall financial liability for the Moroccan federation has been cut by hundreds of thousands of dollars.