Former England skipper Wayne Rooney has sharply criticized the Confederation of African Football (CAF) over its controversial decision to reassign the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations title to Morocco, insisting that Senegal were the rightful winners on the pitch.
The drama traces back to the AFCON final staged in Rabat on January 18, 2026.
Senegal had originally secured a hard-fought 1–0 victory after extra time. However, nearly two months later, CAF’s Appeals Board dramatically overturned that outcome, instead awarding Morocco a 3–0 win by forfeit.
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At the heart of the ruling was a 17-minute protest by Senegal’s players, who briefly walked off in response to a contentious late penalty decision. CAF deemed the action a breach of competition rules severe enough to nullify the match result.
Rooney, reacting to the decision, questioned the integrity of altering a completed match result long after the final whistle.
“It’s crazy. If I was a Morocco player, I wouldn’t accept it,” Rooney stated, emphasizing that the victory belongs to the team that performed better during the match.
He further pointed out that the game had resumed after the protest, the disputed penalty was ultimately missed, and Senegal went on to net the decisive goal through open play, factors he believes should have preserved the original outcome.
Meanwhile, the Fédération Sénégalaise de Football (FSF) has strongly condemned CAF’s decision, describing it as “unfair, unprecedented, and unacceptable.” The federation has confirmed plans to challenge the ruling at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
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FSF maintains that since the referee allowed the match to continue to its conclusion without abandonment, the result earned on the field should remain valid, setting the stage for a potentially landmark legal battle in world football.
