The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has officially launched an investigation into the chaotic events that marred the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) final.
Following Senegal’s victory over hosts Morocco, a sanction is looming for Senegal after the “Teranga Lions” briefly walked off the pitch in protest of a controversial refereeing decision.
The 2025 AFCON final, held at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium on Sunday, January 18, 2026, descended into chaos.
After Congolese referee Jean-Jacques Ndala awarded a late penalty to Morocco following a lengthy VAR review, the Senegalese squad, encouraged by coach Pape Thiaw, staged a walk-off that lasted nearly 15 minutes.
While the team eventually returned and secured a 1-0 win in extra time thanks to a Pape Gueye strike, the governing body has condemned the “unacceptable behavior” of both players and officials.
It was gathered that the CAF is investigating Senegal’s refusal to play for 14 minutes during stoppage time.
Also, the governing body is investigating actions of coach Pape Thiaw, various technical staff andnreports of fans throwing objects and attempting to storm the field.
CAF issued its position in a statement posted on its website on Monday.
“The Confédération Africaine de Football condemns the unacceptable behaviour of some players and officials during the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) Morocco 2025 Final between Morocco and Senegal in Rabat last night,” the statement read.
“CAF is reviewing all footage and will refer the matter to competent bodies for appropriate action to be taken against those found guilty,” the statement added.
As the investigation proceeds, a heavy sanction looms for Senegal that could range from significant financial penalties to individual suspensions.
According to CAF regulations, a refusal to resume a match is a grave offense. While the intervention of captain Sadio Mané prevented a total forfeit, the disciplinary board is currently reviewing footage to determine if the Lions will face a multi-year ban or a fine reaching upwards of €100,000.
The fallout has drawn international attention, with FIFA President Gianni Infantino describing the scenes as “ugly” and stressing that “violence cannot be tolerated in our sport.”
In a social media post, Infantino congratulated Senegal on their triumph while urging CAF’s disciplinary bodies to take appropriate measures.
Morocco’s head coach, Walid Regragui, also criticised the incidents, describing them as “shameful” and saying they did not “honour Africa” during his post-match press conference.
Also, Thiaw has admitted that he was wrong with his reaction to a late penalty.
He said he shouldn’t have ordered his players to leave the pitch amid a controversial penalty call.
He said: “We didn’t agree. I don’t want to go over all the incidents.
“I apologise for the football. After reflecting on it I made them come back [on the pitch] – you can react in the heat of the moment. We accept the errors of the referee. We shouldn’t have done it, but it’s done, and now we present our apologies to football.
“Football is something special, the world was watching, so we have to give a good image for football. I think it would be crazy not play this game because what, the referee gave a penalty and we go out of the game? I think that would be the worst thing especially in African football. I’d rather lose than have this kind of thing happen to our football.
“I think it’s really bad. Football should not stop for 10 minutes but what can we do? We have to accept what we did but the good thing is that we came back and we played the game and what happened happened.”
