Senegal threatens to secede from the African Union

The President of the Senegalese Football Federation, Augustin Senghor, criticized the performance of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), against the backdrop of the crisis surrounding the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations final, stressing that what happened reflects a defect in the football management system on the African continent.

Senghor said, “The CAF system is the worst in the world, at a time when the world is progressing globally while Africa is lagging behind,” stressing that his country will not accept giving up its rights, adding: “We will not hand the cup over to Morocco, as we have achieved the project, and the world is a witness to that.”

He explained that the Senegalese Federation is continuing with the legal escalation, stressing: “We will escalate the issue to the highest authorities in football, and we will not fear anyone, even if it costs us separation from the African Union.”

These statements come after the decision of the Appeals Committee of the Confederation of African Football to overturn the previous ruling for the tournament final, and to consider the Senegal national team a loser with a score of (3-0) to the Moroccan national team, claiming that there were procedural violations related to the right to be heard, which led to the awarding of the title to the Moroccan national team.

The decision sparked widespread controversy in African sports circles, amid an official objection from the Senegalese Federation, which considered it “unfair and unprecedented,” and affecting the credibility of continental competitions.

It is expected that the Senegalese Federation will resort to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne to appeal the decision, in a step that may reopen the file legally, as the court will consider the extent of the proper implementation of the regulations and procedures, without addressing the technical aspects of the match.