Fouzi Lekjaa breaks silence on AFCON 2025 final controversy

Fouzi Lekjaa has delivered Morocco’s strongest public response yet regarding the controversy surrounding the chaotic Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) final between Morocco national football team and Senegal national football team.

The highly debated final, played in January, sparked major controversy after the match descended into chaos late in the game before the matter moved into legal proceedings, leading to months of criticism, accusations and debate across African football.

Lekjaa Defends Morocco’s Position

Speaking in an interview with Onze Mondial, the president of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation defended Morocco’s handling of the situation and insisted the country respected all legal procedures throughout the process.

“A victory remains a victory. It brings three points in a league, a star when you win a competition, and it remains written in the history of a club or national team,” Lekjaa said.

“For our part, what we deeply regret is that we would have wanted a more complete ending to the competition, a true conclusion to the celebration.”

“Morocco Complied With Legality”

Lekjaa also stressed that Morocco acted within the rules despite disagreeing with earlier decisions during the process.

“Until the 95th minute, all the ingredients of a great event were there. More generally, I prefer to simply recall that the institutions of the Kingdom of Morocco complied with legality throughout the entire process,” he explained.

“Despite our disagreement with the first-instance decision, we chose not to publicly express any dissatisfaction. We remained faithful to the values of an ancient nation with more than 14 centuries of history.”

Reference to CAF Regulations

The FRMF chief further revealed that Morocco requested the application of Articles 82 and 84 during the legal process, insisting the regulations were clear.

“We requested the application of Articles 82 and 84, which are clear and precise. Their reading does not require complex interpretation. At the end of the procedure, we obtained a favorable outcome,” he stated.

“Reality Always Ends Up Imposing Itself”

Lekjaa also addressed ongoing criticism and speculation regarding Morocco’s influence within African football governance.

“In any case, there are rumors and comments, and then there is reality and truth. Reality always ends up imposing itself on everyone,” he said.

The football administrator additionally pointed to Morocco’s historical absence from the leadership structures of the Confederation of African Football before its recent return to a more influential role.

“You cannot blame Morocco for trying to push African football to a higher level,” Lekjaa concluded.