Former England captain Wayne Rooney has criticised the Confederation of African Football (CAF) for its decision to retroactively award the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) title to Morocco, calling the move “crazy” and maintaining that Senegal won the trophy “fair and square”.
The controversy stems from the AFCON final held in Rabat on January 18, 2026, in which Senegal initially defeated the hosts, Morocco, 1-0 after extra time. However, the CAF Appeal Board overturned this result on March 17, 2026, declaring Morocco the 3-0 winners by forfeit.
The ruling cited a brief 17-minute walk-off by Senegalese players in protest of a late penalty as a violation of tournament regulations.
Rooney, speaking on the fallout of the decision, expressed disbelief that a result achieved on the pitch could be reversed in a boardroom months later.
“It’s crazy. If I were a Moroccan player, I wouldn’t accept it,” Rooney stated, emphasising that the victory belongs to the team that performed better during the match.
He noted that despite the protest, the match had resumed, the penalty was missed, and Senegal ultimately scored the decisive goal in open play.
The Fédération Sénégalaise de Football (FSF) has labelled the decision “unfair, unprecedented, and unacceptable” and has confirmed it will appeal the ruling to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
The FSF argues that because the referee allowed play to continue and concluded the match normally, the original result should stand.
Source: ghanasoccernet