It makes no sense â?? Frimpong Manso slams CAF for stripping Senegal off AFCON 2025 title

Former Ghana international and seasoned tactician Frimpong Manso has criticized the Confederation of African Football (CAF) appeals jury for stripping Senegal of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations title, describing the decision as senseless and a dangerous precedent for African football.

The high-stake final, held at the Prince Moulay Stadium on January 18, 2026 saw Senegal defeating Morocco 1-0 after extra-time, with midfielder Pape Gueye emerging as the hero of the match following his solo strike.

But appeal body of the continental football governing body overturned the outcome of the AFCON 2025 final on Tuesday night, surprisingly revoking Senegal’s success and awarding Morocco a 3-0 victory.

The decision stems from dramatic scenes during the final, when Senegal players walked off the pitch for over 17 minutes in protest against a late penalty awarded to Morocco.

Following Sadio Mane’s intervention, the Teranga Lions returned to the pitch for the continuation of the match and subsequently prevailed with a narrow win through Pape Gueye after Brahim Diaz had missed the penalty that had triggered the protest.

CAF rules that the conduct of the Senegal team constituted a breach of the competition’s regulations. As a result, the Federation Senegalaise de Football (FSF) was found to have infringed Article 82, leading to the forfeiture of the match under Article 84.

Speaking to Medeamaa FM, Manso, who is the head coach of Premier League outfit Nations FC stressed that the decision to strip off Senegal the title is a bad precedent.

“It’s a bad precedent and doesn’t make sense for the CAF Appeals Committee to strip the Senegal national football team of the 2025 AFCON title and award it to the Morocco national team” he said.

Meanwhile, the Senegal FA has rejected the CAF’s decision to award Morocco the title, threatening to contest the case at the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS).

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