A senior Confederation of African Football (CAF) executive has described the decision to strip Senegal of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) title as “abject” and called for it to be denounced.

Augustin Senghor, CAF executive committee member and former head of the Senegalese Football Federation, spoke out following CAF’s ruling that Senegal forfeited the January final against Morocco after their players walked off the pitch in protest over a last-minute penalty.

CAF awarded Morocco a 3-0 victory after an appeal by the Moroccan Football Association.

“In a situation like this, we have to fight against injustice,” Senghor told BBC World Service’s Newsday.

“Football is fair play, football is played on the field, not in offices. What happened with CAF was unacceptable. When you see a committee taking such a decision in violation of our rules, in violation of the FIFA laws of the game, to take the trophy and give it to Morocco, I think it is something very abject. We have to denounce it.”

Senghor said he believes CAF’s decision was influenced by pressure from Morocco and expressed confidence that Senegal would win an appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

“I am sure that if we appeal to CAS, then we will win and the trophy will never leave Senegal. It is clear in my mind,” he added.

Senegal’s Football Federation confirmed it will appeal the decision, describing it as “unfair, unprecedented and incomprehensible.”

Senghor’s comments reflect a broader debate over CAF’s disciplinary processes, with critics arguing that the decision undermines the integrity of African football.