By GEB
One of the hard lessons presented by the recently concluded 2025 Africa Cup of Nations football tournament in Morocco is that while the tournament ranks as one of the best in organisation, infrastructure and economic potential ever on the continent, it was also one of the most embarrassing in terms of soccer officiating, players’ professionalism and fans’ unruly behaviour. These clearly set back African football significantly in the international football community.
Some actions have indeed been taken to rectify these setbacks, but nothing can compare to preventing the ugly incidents of perceived bias in officiating that have led to players’ seeming intransigence. The Confederation of African Football (CAF) announced various punishments for Senegal and Morocco (the finalists), as well as the other major actors in the farce that almost marred what was otherwise a thrilling Africa Cup of Nations final. It should be guided in the next editions of the Nations Cup.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) took significant disciplinary action against Senegal and Morocco following the AFCON 2025 final in Morocco. The CAF Disciplinary Committee found that several incidents during the final violated the CAF Disciplinary Code, particularly principles of fair play, loyalty, and integrity.
The sanctions include suspensions, fines, and bans on players and officials from both teams. Senegal’s head coach Pape Thiaw received a five match suspension and a $100,000 fine for unsporting conduct, while two Senegalese players were suspended for two matches each for unsporting behaviour towards the referee. Morocco’s Achraf Hakimi received a twomatch suspension, with one match suspended for a year, and
Ismaël Saibari was banned for three matches and fined $100,000 for unsporting behaviour. The CAF has warned that future misconduct at continental competitions will attract equally severe consequences.
While the CAF actions showed the organisation as being on top of its game, such awful behaviours as seen on match day could have been avoided if CAF had done enough to ensure that the factors that led to the crisis were stopped when they first began to manifest in games before the grand finale of the championship. The 35th Africa Cup of Nations thereby ended on a sour note as fans invaded the field and Senegal abandoned the game for 16 minutes, accusing the match referee, VAR and others associated with the final of doing everything possible to aid a Moroccan victory.
Before the events of the final game, Cameroon, which lost to Morocco in the quarterfinals and the Super Eagles of Nigeria had accused CAF and its officials of aiding the hosts’ victories in an alleged plot to ensure that Morocco won their first AFCON in over 50 years. Before the final game, the Senegalese Football Federation had decried a lack of ‘fair play’ from the Moroccan hosts, citing alleged lack of security, problems with the team hotel, training facilities and ability to get tickets for its supporters.
Senegal had abandoned the final following a penalty decision against the country after Morocco also seemed to benefit from biased refereeing calls in previous games.
Although the CAF disciplinary committee gave him a clean bill of health after the game, Jean-Jacques Ndala, the Congolese referee at the head of the storm, to many, did not live up to expectations. Perhaps CAF could have addressed the refereeing issues by appointing officials with impeccable records for a match of the significance of the Africa Cup of Nations. Some have suggested that CAF should consider exchanging match officials with other confederations to improve officiating. This, they said, would not only help the championship but also expose officials to other continental events.
The leeway Moroccan officials and ball boys had in the opposing goalkeepers’ quarters, where they were seen seizing opposing goalkeepers’ towels in the games between Nigeria and Morocco and the final involving Senegal and Morocco, showed an avoidable lapse in security that ridiculed all that the hosts put into organising a splendid championship.
Had CAF ensured that the stewards were well-trained personnel and not partisan in the discharge of their duties, such occurrences would have been avoided.
Senegalese fans, who thrashed some facilities at the magnificent Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat, were incensed by the hosts’ alleged refusal to sell matchday tickets to them and by the attitude of security operatives toward visiting supporters before and during the game. This again calls for a well-defined ticketing system that prevents anyone from denying opponents access to match tickets during such competitions.
The disturbances also extended to the final game media events as Senegal’s coach, Thiaw, ’s post-game press conference was called off following a heated journalists’ debate when he emerged for their questions. Their arguments continued after Thiaw left the podium.
However, kudos must go to the Moroccans for showing the world that an African nation can provide some of the best facilities as well as create an atmosphere that guarantees entertaining football. Morocco provided quality pitches and a transportation system that showed its readiness to co-host the 2030 World Cup alongside Spain and Portugal.
With six world-class stadiums built with over $1.4 billion and allied transport infrastructure that cost about $10 billion, Morocco embodied the saying that where there is a will, there is a way.
The AFCON showed that African countries could make huge gains from hosting major championships if the organisers are intentional in doing things the right way. According to Moroccan officials, the remarkable financial returns from hosting the continent’s premier football tournament have transformed disappointment into economic triumph, providing substantial compensation for the title that has eluded Morocco since 1976.
The Moroccan government has calculated direct revenues from staging the 24-team tournament at over €1.5 billion, which its Industry and Commerce Minister Ryad Mezzour said would fund 80 per cent of the infrastructure needed for the 2030 World Cup. The hosts reported ‘double effect’ in revenues and investments, driven by approximately 600,000 tournament-specific visitors. This influx integrated into a record tourism year for Morocco, with 20 million arrivals representing 14 per cent growth. The visitor flows, they said, dynamised transport, hospitality, restaurants, and handicrafts sectors, providing immediate liquidity injection to the local economy.
Another impact of the championship is in Morocco’s capacity to triple its tourism in just 20 years now, and the employment impact, which they said represents a “source of pride,” with over 100,000 jobs created. The tournament accelerated Morocco’s technological transformation through 5G deployment, digital identification systems, digital ticket sales, and cybersecurity solutions. These initiatives reduced logistical costs and attracted new investments.
Apart from Morocco, CAF reportedly achieved unprecedented returns, with revenues exceeding the 2023 edition hosted by Cote d’Ivoire by over 90 per cent. The competition also took CAF to new markets, particularly in China and Japan, while strengthening its presence in traditional markets. Commercial partners increased from nine sponsors in Cameroon in 2021 to 17 in the Ivory Coast in 2023, reaching 23 in Morocco in 2025.
The AFCON in Morocco has given CAF enough lessons to aid the organisation of the subsequent editions of the championship. It has also set a high standard for Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya, to emulate when they host the 2027 edition.
For a country like Nigeria, which recorded losses when it hosted the African Games (COJA) in 2003 as well as the FIFA U-20 and U-17 World Cup competitions in 1999 and 2009, respectively, it is a lesson in sound economic planning for global championships.
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