Senegal forward Sadio Mané has strongly criticised African football authorities after Senegal were stripped of their 2025 Africa Cup of Nations title, which was subsequently awarded to hosts Morocco.
Mané’s comments follow a controversial decision by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to overturn the final result and rule that Senegal had forfeited the match — despite their original 1–0 victory after extra time.
The final itself was fraught with controversy. Deep into second-half stoppage time, Morocco were awarded a disputed penalty after Brahim Díaz was judged to have been fouled by defender El Hadji Malick Diouf.
In protest, most of the Senegal players walked off the pitch, an action later deemed a breach of regulations. Mané, who captained the side, remained on the field and eventually persuaded his teammates to return.
After a 17-minute delay, play resumed. Díaz stepped up to take the penalty, but his attempted Panenka was comfortably saved by goalkeeper Édouard Mendy. Referee Jean-Jacques Ndala then blew for full-time.
Senegal appeared to have secured the title when Pape Gueye scored in the fourth minute of extra time, sealing what would have been their second AFCON triumph in five years.
At the time, former Morocco coach Walid Regragui condemned Senegal’s actions, calling the walk-off "shameful” and saying it did not "honour Africa.”
Morocco later filed an appeal, which CAF deemed admissible and ultimately upheld, leading to the unprecedented reversal of the result. On Tuesday night, 58 days after the final, Morocco were officially declared AFCON 2025 champions.
CAF’s decision has sparked widespread debate, with critics warning it could set a troubling precedent by allowing match outcomes to be altered retroactively.
Reacting to the decision, Mané expressed concern about the image of the game.
"Football is something special — the world is watching and loves the game. We have to project a good image,” he said.
"I think it would be crazy not to play a game because of a refereeing decision. What if a penalty is given and we walk off? That would be the worst thing, especially for African football. I’d rather lose than see that happen to our game.
"It’s really bad. Football should not stop for even ten minutes, but what can we do? We have to accept what happened. The good thing is that we came back and finished the game.”
Several Senegal players have also voiced their frustration following CAF’s ruling. Midfielder Habib Diarra, who plays for Sunderland, shared images on social media of himself celebrating with the AFCON trophy, along with footage from the team’s seven-hour open-top bus parade in Dakar.