Renowned Nana Kwaku Agyemang says the decision to strip Senegal of its 2025 Africa Cup of Nations title has left African football “a laughing stock on the global stage.”
Speaking on Sports Café on Bullet TV Ghana, Agyemang described the ruling as unprecedented and damaging to the sport’s credibility.
“It hasn’t been pleasant news over the last 10 or 11 hours for African football,” he said. “The decision has left the entire football world in shock, especially regarding the outcome of the final involving Senegal and Morocco.”
Offering his perspective as a former referee, Agyemang explained what should have happened during the match.
“From a refereeing standpoint, when the players walked off and later returned, they had already left the field of play without permission. By the rules, every player involved should have received a yellow card. At that point, it would then be up to the referee to decide whether to abandon the match, because the integrity of the game had clearly been compromised,” he said.
He added that while the referee chose to continue — “possibly applying common sense given that it was a final” — there was still the legitimate option to abandon the match.
“Once the match continued and Senegal won, many expected that to be the end of the matter,” Agyemang said. “Even when Morocco decided to take the issue further, I honestly didn’t expect that Senegal would be stripped of the title.”
Reacting to the final verdict, he expressed strong disappointment.
“This decision makes African football look like a laughing stock on the global stage. There is no clear precedent for this kind of ruling. The regulations being cited — Sections 82 and 84 — were never highlighted during the initial disciplinary discussions, but suddenly appeared at the appeal stage,” he said.
Agyemang also addressed the controversy and speculation surrounding the ruling.
“It raises a lot of questions and has fueled conspiracy theories about whether external influences played a role. Overall, it reflects poorly on the administration of football in Africa, which has already faced challenges over the years,” he said.
Looking ahead, he predicted Senegal would challenge the decision.
“Senegal will most likely take the matter to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), and we will have to wait and see how that unfolds,” he said.
