Morocco Crowned Africa Cup of Nations Champions Amid Controversial Appeal

Morocco have been declared Africa Cup of Nations champions after their appeal to the Confederation of African Football’s disciplinary committee was upheld. The appeal reversed the result of the January final in Rabat, where Morocco initially lost 1-0 to Senegal after extra time.

Senegal had staged a walk-off after a penalty was awarded against them near the end of regulation time. The appeal board found that Senegal's actions violated Articles 82 and 84 of the competition regulations, leading to the final score being officially recorded as 3-0 in Morocco's favor.

Senegal's protest resulted from a penalty decision following a VAR check by referee Jean-Jacques Ndala. Despite the chaos, Senegal returned to the field to win the match 1-0 after extra time, but the appeal board's decision overturned this outcome, marking Morocco's second title win.