Senegal had already received the prize money for winning the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), CAF President Dr. Patrice Motsepe confirmed.
He said the $10 million prize and the trophy were already sent to Senegal, even though Morocco later appealed the result.
The announcement came during a CAF Executive Committee meeting in Cairo, Egypt, on Sunday.
“We gave Senegal the money and the trophy. Morocco is appealing,” Motsepe said.
The controversy started earlier this year after the AFCON final between Senegal and Morocco.
Senegal walked off the pitch for 17 minutes in protest of poor refereeing.
They later returned and won the match 1-0.
However, a month later, CAF announced that Senegal had forfeited the match and declared Morocco the champions with a 3-0 victory.
This decision shocked fans across Africa. Many supported Senegal and questioned CAF’s ruling.
Despite the CAF decision, Senegal did not give up.
The team appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
To show their determination, Senegal even paraded the AFCON trophy at Stade de France before their friendly match against Peru.
Motsepe said he planned to visit both Senegal and Morocco in the coming weeks to discuss the issue further.
He added that CAF would not make any more comments until CAS made its ruling.
The African football community is now waiting to see whether CAS will reverse CAF’s decision, which could allow Senegal to keep their AFCON trophy.
