Morocco delivered a technically strong Africa Cup of Nations in 2025. Senegal’s federation filed a formal protest pointing to security concerns, accommodation disputes, and training conditions it saw as biased toward the host. The turning point came when Senegal’s players briefly left the field in protest at a refereeing decision. On the Moroccan side, the disciplinary decisions have been perceived inside the country as particularly harsh. In that sense, the 2025 AFCON final and the disciplinary response that followed it form a single stress test.

Source: The North Africa Journal February 02, 2026 12:05 UTC