The long wait is over. After days of anticipation and intense scrutiny across the continent, the Confederation of African Football has delivered its disciplinary verdict on the incidents that overshadowed the dramatic conclusion of the 2025 continental final between Senegal and Morocco.

In a comprehensive ruling released on Wednesday, CAF’s Disciplinary Board imposed a series of suspensions and substantial financial penalties on both the Senegalese Football Federation and the Moroccan FA , as well as several players and officials, bringing formal closure to a case that threatened to reshape the tournament’s legacy.

At the heart of the decision was CAF’s determination that multiple actions during the final breached the principles of fair play, integrity, and respect for match officials, even as the governing body firmly rejected Morocco’s bid to overturn the sporting outcome of the match.

Severe sanctions for Senegalese officials and players

The heaviest individual punishment was reserved for Senegal head coach Pape Bouna Thiaw, whose conduct during the prolonged stoppage in extra time was deemed incompatible with CAF’s disciplinary standards. Thiaw has been suspended from five official CAF matches and fined USD 100,000 for behaviour that CAF ruled brought the game into disrepute.

Senegal were further hit by suspensions for two key players. Iliman Cheikh Baroy Ndiaye and Ismaila Sarr will each miss two official CAF matches after being found guilty of unsporting behaviour towards the referee during the final.

The Senegalese federation itself was also heavily sanctioned. CAF imposed a USD 300,000 fine for the improper conduct of Senegal supporters, which the Disciplinary Board said damaged the image of the game. A further USD 300,000 fine was levied for the behaviour of Senegal’s players and technical staff, whose actions during the decisive moments of the final were ruled to have violated principles of loyalty, integrity, and fair play.

An additional USD 15,000 fine was issued after five Senegal players received cautions in the match, triggering sanctions under CAF’s misconduct provisions.

Morocco also punished for player and technical misconduct

CAF’s ruling made it clear that responsibility for the chaotic scenes did not rest with Senegal alone. The Moroccan federation and players were also sanctioned for a range of infractions that compounded the disorder surrounding the decisive VAR moments.

Achraf Hakimi was suspended for two official CAF matches, although one of those suspensions has been conditionally suspended for a year, reflecting the severity but also the context of his actions. Ismaël Saibari received a harsher three-match suspension and a USD 100,000 fine for unsporting behaviour during the match.

The Royal Moroccan Football Federation was fined USD 200,000 for the inappropriate conduct of stadium ball boys, an issue CAF viewed as contributing to the breakdown of match control. A further USD 100,000 fine was imposed after Moroccan players and technical staff were found to have invaded the VAR review area and interfered with the referee’s duties, a clear violation of disciplinary regulations.

CAF also sanctioned Morocco for crowd-related offences, issuing a USD 15,000 fine for the use of laser pointers by supporters during the final.

Protest rejected, result stands

Perhaps the most decisive element of the ruling was CAF’s outright rejection of Morocco’s formal protest seeking to have Senegal stripped of the title. The Disciplinary Board dismissed claims that Senegal violated Articles 82 and 84 of the competition regulations, effectively closing the door on any attempt to alter the final outcome.

By rejecting the protest, CAF confirmed that while misconduct occurred on multiple fronts, none of it met the threshold required to nullify the match result or declare a forfeit.