Former Football Kenya Federation (FKF) President Sam Nyamweya has joined the bandwagon of stakeholders castigating Confederation of African Football (CAF)’s decision to annul Senegal’s 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) success in Morocco.
In a dramatic turn of events, the appeals committee of the African body delivered its verdict regarding the disputes surrounding the final. Senegal were ruled to have lost by forfeit, granting the host nation an administrative victory and the title.
“This is not only an unprecedented but also an exceptionally serious decision based on a manifestly erroneous interpretation of the regulations, leading to a grossly illegal and deeply unjust decision,” Nyamweya told Flashscore.
“The decision by CAF has left more questions than answers given that the match was played to the final whistle and there was no abandonment whatsoever.”
Nyamweya admitted while Senegal players were at fault for walking off the pitch in protest after Morocco were awarded a penalty, the penalty in question was very questionable.
“Senegal players were at fault for walking out of the pitch after the referee awarded Morocco what was seen as a questionable penalty deep into added time,” said Nyamweya.
“Senegal went on to score in extra time in full glare of the entire world to win the title. However, CAF has gone ahead to strip the Senegalese of the title after Morocco lodged a complaint, which is to say the least daylight robbery.”
Nyamweya continued: “Football rules dictate the winner on the pitch of play gets the points or the title in the event it is a final match – unless there are other breaches. In this case, the match officials allowed the game to continue to its completion, how again does the winner forfeit the title?”
He concluded: “The action by CAF is setting a dangerous precedent and will erode the gains African football has made over the years.
