Senegal Walk-Off Explained: How a Late Penalty Call Changed the AFCON Final Outcome
Senegal walked off in protest, but the real shock came weeks later when CAF flipped the final result.
Published March 18 2026, 10:46 a.m. ET
The Africa Cup of Nations final between Senegal and Morocco left fans speechless after Senegal’s players walked off the field mid-match. The Africa Cup of Nations is the championship match of the Confederation of African Football’s top men’s national team tournament.
The CAF billed Morocco vs. Senegal as the grand finale of AFCON Morocco 2025, with only one team set to take home the win.
However, weeks later, a final determination has been made. After Senegal players walked off the field, CAF issued a ruling that changed the outcome of the match entirely.
Why did Senegal’s players walk off?
The drama unfolded in stoppage time on Jan. 18, in Rabat, when referee Jean-Jacques Ndala, after a VAR review, awarded Morocco a penalty. Senegal’s players protested the call and walked off the pitch for about 14 minutes. They eventually returned, watched Morocco miss the penalty, and pushed the match into extra time. Senegal then secured a 1–0 win thanks to a goal from Pape Gueye.
Senegal coach Pape Bouna Thiaw later explained the decision. He said the walk-off was “driven by emotion and a feeling of injustice.”
"It was never my intention to go against the principles of the game I love so much," Pape wrote on Instagram. "I simply tried to protect my players from injustice. What some may perceive as a violation of the rules is nothing more than an emotional reaction to the bias of the situation. After deliberation, we decided to resume the match and go for the trophy."
Did Senegal win the match?
Senegal won the final on the field, but that victory did not last. On March 17, CAF’s Appeal Board ruled that Senegal forfeited the match because the team left the field without the referee’s authorization, according to Reuters. The board cited Articles 82 and 84 of the competition regulations. It replaced Senegal’s 1–0 win with a 3–0 victory for Morocco, officially naming Morocco the African champions.
Morocco’s federation said its appeal was about “respecting the rules,” while Senegal’s federation blasted the ruling as a “travesty” and said it would appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
The Senglense government also condemned the decision. “This unprecedented and exceptionally serious decision directly contradicts the fundamental principles of sporting ethics, foremost among which are fairness, loyalty, and respect for the truth of the game,” the Senegalese government said in a statement to the AP.
According to Reuters, the fallout did not stop with the title reversal. FIFA president Gianni Infantino said, “It is unacceptable to leave the field of play in this manner,” and stressed that teams must respect match officials’ decisions. CAF also opened disciplinary proceedings. By Jan. 29, CAF had suspended Thiaw for five matches and fined him $100,000, fined Senegal’s federation $615,000, and handed Iliman Ndiaye and Ismaila Sarr two-match bans for unsporting behavior toward the referee.
CAF now officially recognizes Morocco as the AFCON champion after overturning the result to a 3–0 forfeit win. The title marks Morocco’s second Africa Cup of Nations crown and its first in 50 years. Meanwhile, Senegal continues to fight the decision through an appeal.