Senegalese defender Moussa Niakhaté has fired a blunt reaction to the Confederation of African Football’s (CAF) decision to strip Senegal of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) title, awarding the championship to Morocco instead.
The CAF’s announcement on Tuesday evening reversed its January ruling, which had rejected Morocco’s appeal. In a major upheaval, the Atlas Lions’ appeal was accepted, with Senegal found guilty of violating Articles 82 and 84 of the AFCON regulations by temporarily leaving the field during the final. The match was officially forfeited 3–0, handing Morocco the continental crown.
The decision has provoked widespread anger in Senegal, where fans and players celebrated victory on the pitch in Rabat. Just minutes after CAF’s ruling, the Senegalese Football Federation (FSF) highlighted the team’s triumph on social media, posting footage from January 20 in Dakar of coach Pape Thiaw and the players raising the trophy to a jubilant crowd.
Amid these reactions, Niakhaté made his position crystal clear on Instagram. “Come and get them! They’re crazy,” the Olympique Lyonnais centre-back wrote, sharing a photo of himself holding his medal and trophy. “This isn’t AI, it’s real,” he added, posting a picture from the night of Senegal’s victory in Rabat. The post was accompanied by the rap group Sniper’s song Gravé dans la roche (“Etched in Stone”), underlining the defiance of the Senegalese contingent.
The Senegalese player’s words capture the frustration felt across the country, as the championship has now been decided behind closed doors, months after the match ended. The ruling has sparked debate about the governance of African football and the timing of disciplinary actions that affect outcomes long after the final whistle.
It is expected that the FSF will now appeal the CAF decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), seeking to restore Senegal’s title or challenge the forfeit ruling. For Niakhaté and his teammates, the official stripping of the trophy represents not just a legal defeat, but a bitter contradiction to what was celebrated on the pitch.
The saga highlights the tension between administrative rulings and the emotions of players and fans, and signals that the AFCON 2025 controversy is far from over.
