From 8th to 5th place in the world: a royal gift from CAF to Moroccan football?
The CAF Appeals Jury declared Senegal forfeit in the 2025 AFCON final, sealing the triumph of Morocco (3-0). This victory should propel the Atlas Lions to the fifth place in the world rankings.
Seized by the Royal Moroccan Football Federation, the body has formally canceled the initial disciplinary sanctions. Considering this appeal perfectly admissible and well-founded, the commission ruled that "the behavior of the Senegalese team falls within the scope of Articles 82 and 84" of the competition regulations.
On Bladi.net: Final verdict of CAF: Morocco declared winner of the 2025 AFCON by forfeit!
In strict application of the current texts, this proven offense results in the definitive loss of the match with a clear score of 3 to 0. This exceptional mathematical outcome should allow the Moroccan national team, currently eighth, to leap into the top 5 of the international ranking.
Beyond the sporting result, this new verdict significantly revises the individual sanctions. While Ismaël Saibari’s fault remains confirmed, the midfielder escapes his heavy fine of $100,000 and sees his suspension reduced to two official matches, one of which is suspended.
On Bladi.net: 2025 AFCON: the CAF’s verdict has fallen, and Morocco is not spared
Finally, the financial penalties targeting the Moroccan federation are considerably softened, falling to $50,000 for the ball boy incident and $10,000 for the use of lasers. Only the $100,000 fine penalizing interference around the video assistance is firmly maintained.
