Fresh updates on the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations final

Instructions were reportedly given to the match referee not to issue yellow cards to Senegalese players as they left the pitch.

The controversial 2025 Africa Cup of Nations final, played on 18 January between Senegal and Morocco, continues to yield new details. Following the CAF Appeals Committee’s decision to strip the Lions of Teranga of their title and award it to the Lions of the Atlas, new revelations have come to light.

During the final, the Senegalese players had temporarily left the pitch to protest against a penalty awarded to Morocco. When they returned to resume play, the referee did not penalise them. This decision, which was hardly surprising, was due to instructions, according to revelations in Le Monde. The newspaper reports that the chairman of the African Football Confederation’s referees’ committee, Oliver Safari, admitted that instructions had been given to the match referee not to issue a yellow card to the Senegalese players upon their return to the pitch, in order to preserve the match.