Sadio Mane reacts to CAF verdict: ‘There is too much corruption in our game’

Senegal captain Sadio Mane has reacted to the ruling made by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to take away the 2025 AFCON title from Senegal and give it to Morocco.

Senegal beat Morocco 1-0 in January to win the tournament, but it was a hugely controversial win against the tournament hosts. CAF decided to uphold the appeal filed by the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) following the sanctions imposed by the governing body after the final on January 18.

 

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Consequently, the Senegalese Football Federation (FSF) was found to be in breach of regulations due to its team’s conduct during the final.

The sanction was immediate and drastic: Senegal was declared the loser by forfeit, and the match was officially awarded to Morocco with a score of 3-0, thus granting them the continental title.

‘There is too much corruption in our game’

“What happened went too far. This is not the football we fight for, nor the Africa we believe in,” said Mane on social media pages.

“There is too much corruption in our game, and it is killing the passion of millions of fans across the continent. The players give everything on the pitch, but decisions made off it end up deciding matches and trophies,” said Mane.

Mane, who played a big role in getting the Senegal players back onto the field, said that he was extremely disappointed for African football as a whole and said that the fans deserve fairness, transparency and respect.

“I am deeply disappointed—not just for Senegal, but for African football as a whole. We deserve better. The fans deserve fairness, transparency, and respect,” added Mane.

SSF protest decision, to move to CAS

Senegalese Football Federation (FSF) has already protested the CAF decision as “unfair, unprecedented, and unacceptable,” believing it discredits African football.

“To defend the rights and interests of Senegalese football, the federation announces it will appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne, with an emergency procedure to be initiated as soon as possible,” read part of the statement.

“The Federation reaffirms its commitment to the values of integrity and sporting justice and will keep the public informed of the follow-up to this matter.”

Apart from the Senegal versus Morocco verdict, CAF further confirmed the finding that Ismael Saibari (Player No. 11 of the Morocco national team) had committed misconduct in violation of Articles 82 and 83(1) of the CAF Disciplinary Code.

The sanction imposed on Saibari was therefore amended to a suspension of two (2) official CAF matches, of which one (1) match was suspended. However, a fine of USD 100,000, which was earlier imposed on Saibari, was set aside.