Accra: The 2025 Africa Cup of Nations final between Morocco and Senegal will be remembered for years not for brilliance on the ball, but for the controversy that unfolded off it. After Senegal briefly walked off in protest during the game, Confederation of African Football took more than 50 days to deliver its verdict. On March 17, 2026, CAF awarded Morocco a 3-0 forfeit victory, officially securing them the AFCON title.
According to Ghana Web, the decision has divided opinion across the continent. But as dramatic as it feels, football history shows this is far from the first time glory has been decided not by goals but by walkouts.
In the 2019 CAF Champions League Final between Wydad AC and Esp©rance de Tunis, a similar storm erupted in club football. Wydad AC walked off during the final over a VAR dispute. With tensions escalating and no resolution in sight, the match was abandoned. CAF ultimately awarded the title to Esp©rance, a decision that reverberated across the football world and underscored the growing pains of VAR implementation in Africa.
One of the earliest and most dramatic precedents dates back over a century to the 1920 Olympic Final between Belgium and Czechoslovakia. During this final, Czechoslovakia walked off in protest after a controversial red card. Belgium were subsequently awarded the gold medal, a historic reminder that disputes influencing outcomes are not a modern phenomenon.
In a more recent flashpoint, the 2024 Turkish Super Cup saw Fenerbah§e stage a walkout just minutes into the Super Cup clash against Galatasaray, protesting scheduling and federation decisions. The match was forfeited, handing Galatasaray the trophy in one of the most unusual conclusions to a major domestic final in recent memory.