Senegal lost the trophy in two months after 'catastrophic disaster caused by group departure'... Instead, Morocco will win the Africa Cup of Nations 'catch and win'

*This content was translated by AI.

The final winner of the 2025 African Football Confederation (CAF) Africa Cup of Nations has changed from Senegal to Morocco in two months.

According to foreign media reports such as AP and Reuters on the 18th (Korea Standard Time), CAF nullified Senegal's victory in the final and officially declared Morocco's 3-0 confiscation win and tournament win. This marks Morocco's second African championship since 1976.

It is extremely unusual for a final result to be overturned after death in an international major soccer tournament.

The beginning of the incident was a "group departure" at the end of the final match of the tournament in Rabat, Morocco, on January 19. Shortly before the end of the 0-0 regular period, a penalty was declared as Morocco's Brahim Díaz was fouled by VAR. Senegal coach Papetiau and the team, who were outraged by this, strongly protested the decision and left the ground as a group.

The game was suspended for about 15 to 20 minutes due to this incident, causing great confusion due to crowd intrusion and dumping of dirt. After many twists and turns, Senegal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy caught a Panenka kick attempted by Díaz in the resumed game, and the game led to extra time. In the end, Senegal seemed to win 1-0 thanks to Pape Gueye's winning goal in the fourth minute of extra time.

However, the judgment began to be mixed as the Moroccan Football Association defined Senegal's act of leaving the stadium without the referee's permission as 'refusal to play'. In accordance with the competition regulations, a team that refuses or leaves the game without permission from the referee, regardless of the reason, is considered a loss.

Initially, the CAF disciplinary committee only fined Senegal $1 million (about 1.48 billion won) and suspended officials, maintaining the outcome of the game. However, the higher-level agency, the Appeals Committee, strictly interpreted the unauthorized departure as a reason for disqualification, reversing the results of the first trial by 180 degrees. Even if the game was played to the end, it is judged that it is already disqualified at the time when it went out without permission in the middle.

The Moroccan Football Association said in a statement, "The objection was not just a performance problem, but to ask for the correct application of the tournament rules."

Senegal, which lost the trophy, is likely to file a complaint with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) against the decision.

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*This content was translated by AI.