The shocking and unprecedented news that this year’s African Cup of Nations (AFCON) winner Senegal will be stripped of their title, which will instead go to beaten finalists Morocco, has sent shockwaves across the continent’s football community.

Senegal’s football federation have confirmed they will appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), with the federation’s secretary general Abdoulaye Seydou Sow quick to express his feelings.

“We will contact our lawyers and file an appeal. We will stop at nothing. The law is on our side,” Sow announced on state radio RTS, calling the decision a “disgrace for Africa.”

Titles being stripped retrospectively is rare in football. Juventus were stripped of two Serie A league titles in the mid 2000s due to match fixing and Marseille had a Ligue 1 trophy taken off them for a bribery scandal in 1993. More recently, Romania were awarded a 3-0 win over Kosovo in 2024 after the Kosovo team walked off in the final minute of their match in Romania when when they heard pro-Serbia chanting from home fans, which Romania has denied. The game was not resumed, and UEFA concluded that Kosovo were responsible.

With that in mind, this decision is seismic, especially after the matter appeared to be settled at the end of January when both teams were fined and Morocco’s appeal was dismissed by the Confederation of African Football (CAF).

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“The timing is really bad. CAF should have taken a decision earlier, quicker. The situation has only rotted more and more,” said DW’s Ali Farhat, an African football expert who was at tournament and final for DW. “Plus, if Senegal wins in front of the CAS, the CAF is going to look less and less credible as an institution. It is really bad for African football.”

Collins Okinyo, a former CAF media consultant, agrees.

“It puts African football under a lot of scrutiny because the decision has shocked almost everyone,” he told DW.

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‘Value of African football will go down’

Okinyo doesn’t believe Morocco can be blamed for pursuing the letter of the law, a view supported by Moncef El Yazghi, a Moroccan researcher author, and expert in sports politics.

“The most important factor is the application of the law,” El Yazghi told DW. “Announcing the title two months after the end of the tournament is secondary, as history remembers titles and results rather than the surrounding circumstances.

“Moreover, this establishes a vital legal precedent that will deter other teams from withdrawing from matches whenever a referee’s decision does not suit them—a behavior that has unfortunately been observed in several matches across the African continent in recent weeks.”

Combined with the recent news that the women’s AFCON has again been delayed, the image of African football has definitely enjoyed brighter days. 

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“If you look at it critically, the value of African football will definitely go down with this,” Okinyo said.

A lot of criticism has surrounded the referee’s handling of a chaotic final in which Senegal left the pitch after having a late goal disallowed before seeing Morocco awarded an injury time penalty which they missed on the resumption of play.

“It is important to remember that several top officials from CAF and the tournament hierarchy were present at the stadium, which may have shaped how events unfolded,” Okinyo said. “It’s a situation that deserves deeper reflection.”

DW has contacted CAF with a series of questions but has not yet received a reply.

Morocco within rights to appeal

Morocco is clearly emerging as a major hub in African football, but talk of influence is without foundation, said El Yazghi.

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“The suggestion that there was Moroccan interference in the decision is incorrect; Morocco simply exercised its right to litigation,” he said. “Morocco does not ‘control’ CAF. This is evidenced by the fact that Morocco lost two Women’s AFCON finals on home soil, one of which was due to a clear refereeing error. CAF has its own jurisdictions and authorities, and its integrity cannot be questioned without evidence. Ultimately, CAS will have the final word—unless one believes Morocco controls CAS as well.”

With Senegal’s appeal now going to the highest court in sport, tougher questions will follow. How did it reach this point? What were the decisions that led to chaos in the final?

But, for many, the saddest part is that this dispute comes off the back of an Africa Cup of Nations widely considered to be a major success for both host Morocco and the continent.

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Final overshadows successful tournament

“The AFCON in Morocco was the best ever,” Okinyo said. “A lot was done to improve facilities and the organization was perfect, but the tournament was overshadowed by the final. It was one of the worst things to happen. The impact is heavy. African football led by [CAF President] Patrice Motsepe has to find a way to bring things back to life, because at this moment the damage is so big.”

While this story will roll on, El Yazghi believes that, contrary to much reporting, the image of football in Africa should be burnished by the decision.

“The real issue is that some still wish to maintain hegemony over Africa and manage its affairs on its behalf,” El Yazghi argued. “When a decision is made by CAF, it is suddenly viewed as a loss of credibility. Why? Why don’t we instead say that CAF has implemented the law and provided fair litigation opportunities to all parties? That is the real question.”

Ali Farhat and Hicham Driouich contributed to this article.

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Edited by: Matt Pearson

For as quietly as unbeaten Lerone Murphy has snuck up on the UFC featherweight title picture, his spinning back elbow knockout of Aaron Pico last August — on short notice, no less — proved to be a resoundingly loud statement that his ascension upon the rankings can no longer be denied. 

“I’m used to people overlooking me,” Murphy told CBS Sports HQ on Tuesday. “I’m like the silent assassin. I come in and people underestimate me. That’s the worst thing they can ever do.”

Although the 34-year-old native of Manchester, England, did not get the immediate title shot he coveted by recording his ninth straight win inside the Octagon, Murphy (17-0-1) was given what likely amounts to one more chance to prove himself in Saturday’s final eliminator. 

Murphy, the No. 3 ranked featherweight, will enter as a slight betting underdog when he faces fellow unbeaten and No. 1 ranked Movsar Evloev (19-0) inside the O2 Arena in the main event of UFC Fight Night in London (special start time of 4 p.m. ET on Paramount+). Even though neither fighter has been guaranteed a title shot with a win, the expectations remain that a strong performance from the winner should be enough. 

Sign up for Paramount+ and Watch UFC Fight Night: Evloev vs. Murphy for no additional fee — every UFC numbered event and UFC Fight Night is included with your subscription! Plans start as low as $8.99/month or $89.99/year!

While Murphy, who replaced an injured Evloev against Pico, isn’t bitter about being passed over by matchmakers for Alex Volkanovski’s February title defense in Australia at UFC 235, he did call the champion’s subsequent decision win over Diego Lopes, whom Volkanovski fought for the second straight time, an “I told you so” moment. 

“For sure, I thought that all fingers pointed in [my] direction [after knocking out Pico,]” Murphy said. “Obviously, before I stepped in, people were saying Movsar and Pico were in a No. 1 contender fight. I took that fight on short notice in the co-main event and KOed him in spectacular fashion on a big card. I thought straight away there was no one else Volkanovski could’ve fought and I thought I would be the guy.”

Evloev, a 32-year-old from Russia, has been slowed down considerably by a series of injuries and illnesses in recent years that have limited him to just four fights over the past four years. The good news for Evloev’s title hopes, however, is that all four fights came against elite competition — Dan Ige, Lopez, Arnold Allen and Aljamain Sterling — that made his inclusion in such a fight as this inevitable. 

Murphy, on the other hand, has embarked upon a journey over the past 15 years of his adult life that has been anything but normal, predictable or easy. So, when tasked with the challenge of waiting for his moment against all odds, Murphy can take solace in the fact that he has learned to feel a sense of destiny carrying him throughout each difficult step up the ladder. 

“I’m wired differently. I believe I’m cut from a different cloth,” Murphy said. “Many people wouldn’t have even started training after what I went through.”

If it isn’t already crazy enough to consider that Murphy didn’t begin training MMA until the age of 22, what happened to him one year prior in 2013 is almost unthinkable. 

Years after a teenage knee injury cut short his goal of becoming a professional soccer player, a 21-year-old Murphy had graduated college but severely lacked direction. After falling into local gang culture, he found himself in the wrong place at the wrong time exiting a barber shop when a car drove by and shot him three times in the neck and face. 

A conscious Murphy went to spit out blood and bullets literally came out onto the sidewalk next to him. He lost teeth, needed a tracheotomy to breathe and spent a week in intensive care. To this day, he still has a bullet shard embedded in his tongue. 

Not only did Murphy miraculously survive, however, the experience turned his life around as he began training MMA in earnest the following year. Five years later, he made his UFC debut in 2019, fighting Zubaira Tukhugov to an exciting split draw at UFC 242 in a fight that would trigger the nine-bout winning streak that followed. 

But that’s not where Murphy, who aptly calls himself “The Miracle,” would see his setbacks and challenges end. In 2022, just seven months after a highlight-reel knockout of Makwan Amirkhani raised his UFC profile considerably, Murphy was struck by a car in a cycling accident that left him bleeding with a head injury. 

The accident became yet another near-fatal experience when it took an ambulance 45 minutes to arrive on the scene, nearly causing Murphy to bleed to death. Murphy, who was told he would never fight again, somehow returned to the Octagon just 10 months later when he took a split decision from Gabriel Santos in London.

“I think it’s destiny and I believe it’s my calling to then pass this story on to the younger generation,” Murphy said. “There are a lot of people who go through things and come across some hurdles and they are not able to get past it. I believe I’m the person able to show people it is doable, especially from the kids coming from deprived areas. That is one of my goals to do after fighting, to get these guys the opportunity and mindset to look around them and do better.

“I just think it’s consistency, faith and having a good support system around you. Because it’s like, if you have no one to lean on in tough times, it’s hard but if you have a good support system, I believe you are stronger than anything.”

Against Evloev, the task is simple for Murphy, who has yielded at least four takedowns in five of his 10 UFC bouts — keep his back off of the mat. Should the fight be a five-round kickboxing match, the advantage moves quickly into the favor of Murphy but that won’t be easy considering Evloev averages just shy of five takedowns per 15 minutes. 

But at the end of the day, especially after exciting Brazilian striker Jean Silva has already publicly announced that he believes he is next for Volkanovski, Murphy knows that a victory isn’t enough. He will need to be exciting. 

“I think everybody knows what the guys from that region do. Movsar is an excellent grappler, wrestler and I think it’s clear as day that are his strengths,” Murphy said. “I think he’s well-rounded and can fight everywhere but I just believe in myself. I just think I’m very creative, very smart in there. I don’t just fight. I’m always setting things up, I’m always changing distance and letting it go. I think that’s just where the difference will be. 

“I think he can hang with anyone on the feet for a certain time but I think the longer he stands with me, the greater chance he has of getting knocked out. I just want to go out there and have a good fight. I don’t want the fight to be boring, I just want to have a good fight.”

/ @lockedoncollegefootball  

Senegal football fans Wednesday slammed the decision to strip the country of its Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) title and give it to Morocco, calling the move a “disgrace for Africa” as their country demands an investigation.

Gora Ndiaye, a resident of Dakar who works as a driver, told AFP he felt like he had “been hit over the head” when he heard the news on the radio.

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) sensationally stripped Senegal of their title late Tuesday, citing regulations about leaving the field, which players did near the end of the final two months ago.

“If this law was applicable, it should have been applied immediately and the cup should have been awarded to the Moroccans”, Ndiaye said, calling the move “a disgrace for Africa”.

Read moreSenegal to appeal being stripped of AFCON title, handing 2025 championship to Morocco

With the news ricocheting across social media and the airwaves Wednesday fans are now waiting for the results of a promised appeal by their country’s football authorities.

Senegal’s government additionally called for “an independent international investigation into suspected corruption within the CAF’s governing bodies”.

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Several Senegalese players walked off the pitch in protest during the final in Rabat on January 18 when the hosts were awarded a penalty late in second-half stoppage time.

After Senegal’s players were coaxed back onto the pitch by captain Sadio Mane, Morocco missed the penalty. Pape Gueye then scored in extra time to give Senegal a 1-0 victory.

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CAF said that having studied an appeal by Morocco, “the Senegal national team is declared to have forfeited the match” and the result was “officially recorded as 3-0” in favour of Morocco.

“I started by laughing and being surprised at the same time, because it really shocked me that two months later they took away our victory”, Assietou Diallo, a 25-year-old accounting assistant, told AFP from downtown Dakar.

Senegalese news outlets were unanimous, with headlines such as “Big Continental Farce”, “Joke of the Century” and “Unprecedented Scandal”.

Waiting for appeal

Senegal’s football authorities said they will appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in the next 48 hours, condemning what they said was an “unjust, unprecedented and unacceptable decision”.

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Senegal defender Moussa Niakhate posted a photo on Instagram of himself holding the Africa Cup and wearing a medal, with the comment “Come and get them! They’re crazy!”

Senegal fans maintain that even if the team are stripped of their trophy, they are still the true victor in the eyes of spectators.

“We played and we won”, Senegal supporter Khola Diouf told AFP from Dakar, pointing to Morocco’s missed penalty in the final moments of the game, adding that “the whole world is witnessing and knows that Senegal deserves the cup”.

The trophy, said Ndiaye the driver, “is an object” and even “if we give it to the Moroccans, you have to know that Senegal beat them on the field”.

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In Rabat, where the match was played, fans were decidedly in favour even if less emotional, as they prepared their final shopping ahead of the Eid al-Fitr holiday, marking the end of Ramadan.

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“Everyone is happy with this outcome”, Mohamed Amine Boujdaini, a 53-year-old lawyer, told AFP, adding “the cup returns to its rightful home”.

Omar Haryate, a 70-year-old retiree, meanwhile said “justice has been served”.

The CAF Appeals Committee justified its decision by applying Articles 82 and 84 of the AFCON Regulations. They state that if a team “refuses to play or leaves the ground before the regular end of the match without the authorisation of the referee, it shall be considered (loser) and shall be eliminated for good from the current competition”.

The articles add the team contravening the regulations “will lose its match by 3-0”.

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(FRANCE 24 with AFP)