Lekjaa reflects on CAF ruling after AFCON 2025 dispute, calls for respect of due process

Morocco Football Federation president Fouzi Lekjaa has addressed the controversial administrative decision surrounding the AFCON 2025 encounter involving Senegal, offering a measured reflection on the ruling process and its wider implications for African football governance.

The Ternaga Lions secured a 1-0 win over Atlas Lions in the final, but Morocco appealed on some decisions on the pitch.

However, CAF ruled in favour of Morocco but Senegal has filed a protest at the Court of Arbitration of Sports (CAS).

Speaking on the matter, Lekjaa stressed that, regardless of how victories are achieved, they remain part of the game’s official record.

“A victory is a victory: it earns three points in a championship, a star when winning a competition, and it remains written in the history of the club or selection,” he said. “For our part, what we deeply regret is that we would have wished for a more accomplished end to the competition, a true end to the celebration. Until the 95th minute, all the ingredients of a great event were there.”

The Morocco FA chief then outlined the procedural steps that led to CAF’s initial ruling in Morocco’s favour at administrative level, insisting that the federation acted strictly within established regulations following the disputed match situation.

“Morocco respected the legal procedure after the match situation, stating that institutions acted within the rules,” Lekjaa explained. “Despite disagreement with the first-instance ruling, they did not publicly protest. They submitted their case under Articles 82 and 84, and the decision eventually went in their favor at that stage.”

He further confirmed that the case was escalated by Senegal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), emphasizing that Morocco remains committed to respecting the final outcome of the judicial process.

According to Lekjaa, the federation will await CAS arbitration before drawing any conclusions, adding that Morocco is prepared to accept whatever verdict is delivered.

The remarks underline the sensitivity surrounding administrative resolutions in major continental tournaments, where sporting outcomes are increasingly being shaped in disciplinary and legal chambers as much as on the pitch.