CAF's appeals board on Tuesday ruled that Senegal forfeited the final by leaving the field of play without the referee's authorisation, and it awarded Morocco a default 3-0 win. The game was delayed for 14 minutes as most of the Senegalese players and staff returned to their dressing room, while Senegal fans battled stewards behind one of the goals in protest against a controversial penalty call for Morocco after Senegal had a goal ruled out.
The 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) will long be remembered for the way it finished. There were chaotic scenes at the end of regulation time in the final, when the award of a penalty to Morocco sparked a walk-off from Senegal and led to a delay of over 16 minutes before Brahim Diaz had his Panenka attempt saved. Atlas Lions boss Walid Regragui decried the incident as "shameful", and the Confederation of African Football (Caf) is yet to announce the sanctions.
I remembered walking through the Big Apple, watching as Senegalese rickshaw drivers gathered around to watch the game on their phone, and as Algerian street vendors cried in mirth seeing their team win the trophy after 29 years. And I realized that, apart from the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium, there wasn't a better place in the world to watch the AFCON Final than New York City.
