Rabat, Morocco – Morocco’s newly appointed national football coach, Mohamed Ouahbi, congratulated the country on Thursday following the Confederation of African Football’s (CAF) controversial decision to award Morocco the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) title after Senegal was stripped of the trophy.
Okay News reports that Senegal originally won the final match on Saturday, January 18, 2025, in Rabat, Morocco, with a 1-0 scoreline. However, CAF announced on Tuesday, March 17, 2026, that Senegal would forfeit the title due to their players walking off the field in protest after Morocco was awarded a penalty in the final minutes of second-half stoppage time.
Senegalese captain Sadio Mane eventually persuaded his teammates to return to the pitch, but Morocco missed the penalty, and Pape Gueye of Senegal scored in extra time, leading to the CAF ruling that ultimately favored Morocco.
“First of all, I would like to congratulate all Moroccans, the staff, the players and the federation on the good news we got two days ago, which is well-deserved,” said Ouahbi, 49, who took over as Morocco’s head coach earlier this month after Walid Regragui’s departure. Ouahbi was speaking as he announced his first squad list for Morocco’s upcoming friendly matches against Ecuador and Paraguay.
The coach emphasized the importance of focusing on future competitions, saying, “But it’s important to focus on the present and the future. My goal is to make the team competitive for the World Cup.”
The Moroccan Football Federation welcomed CAF’s announcement, citing the organization’s “respect for the rules.” Meanwhile, the Senegalese Football Federation said on Thursday that it had instructed lawyers to appeal the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), calling it an “unjust decision.”
Earlier in January, CAF’s disciplinary committee had fined both Morocco and Senegal for unsportsmanlike conduct during the final, imposing several hundred thousand euros in fines but not questioning the result at the time.
Morocco, under Regragui, reached the semi-finals of the 2022 FIFA World Cup and will compete in Group C at this year’s edition alongside Brazil, Scotland, and Haiti.
