The Royal Moroccan Football Federation (RMFF) has announced plans to pursue legal action against the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and FIFA following Senegal’s controversial walk-off during the closing stages of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) final in Rabat.
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The decision comes after chaotic scenes in Sunday night’s final between hosts Morocco and Senegal, when
Senegal head coach Pape Thiaw ordered his players to leave the pitch in protest after Morocco were awarded a late penalty.
The incident sparked widespread condemnation and brought the match to a temporary halt.
Despite the disruption, former Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy saved the penalty—taken deep into stoppage time after eight additional minutes had initially been added—and Senegal eventually went on to secure victory in extra time to lift the AFCON trophy.
Speaking on Monday, Thiaw admitted his mistake and apologised for his actions.
“After thinking about it, I realised that I shouldn’t have asked them to go off. I apologise for that,” he said. “Sometimes you react in the heat of the moment. Before that, we scored a goal that was not given. But we accept that referees make mistakes.”
CAF and FIFA are both understood to be reviewing the incident, with Thiaw potentially facing a lengthy ban.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino strongly criticised the walk-off, describing it as “unacceptable”.
“It is unacceptable to leave the field of play in this manner,” Infantino said. “We must always respect the decisions taken by match officials. Anything less puts the very essence of football at risk.”
CAF also issued a statement condemning the behaviour and confirmed that all available footage is being reviewed, with the matter set to be referred to its disciplinary bodies.
Morocco head coach Walid Regragui also expressed his disappointment, describing the scenes as damaging to African football.
“The image we gave of Africa is shameful,” he said. “Stopping the match in the eyes of the world did not help anyone.”
In a strongly worded statement, the RMFF said it would formally pursue legal action over the incident.
“The Royal Moroccan Football Federation announces that it will pursue legal action with CAF and FIFA regarding the Senegalese national team’s withdrawal from the final match and the subsequent events following the referee’s decision to award a penalty kick, a decision deemed correct by experts,” the statement read.
The federation added that the interruption significantly affected the flow of the match and the performance of the Moroccan players, while also thanking fans for their “exemplary support” throughout the tournament.
Senegal’s squad returned to Dakar on Monday for victory celebrations, a development that has raised concerns among European clubs awaiting the return of their Senegalese internationals ahead of domestic league fixtures.
The AFCON final is now expected to remain under scrutiny as CAF and FIFA consider possible sanctions arising from one of the most dramatic and controversial conclusions in the tournament’s history.
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