Confederation of African Football, CAF’s decision to award the AFCON 2025 title to Morocco following Senegal’s momentary walk-off in the final has left both bettors and betting platforms in confusion.
Two months after the controversial match, several operators have begun paying out on Morocco as winners. Firms including Paddy Power, BoyleSports, Betfair, Sky Bet and Betclic have confirmed they are settling wagers in line with CAF’s ruling, treating it as the official result.
This comes despite the fact that many bettors had already been paid out on Senegal after the January final. Sky Bet, for instance, said it would honour bets on both teams, with others taking similar steps to maintain customer trust. “We are settling bets based on the official result”, industry players indicated.
As a result, bookmakers now face a rare “double payout” scenario, highly unusual in an industry where bets are typically settled at the final whistle. The outcome has turned the AFCON 2025 final into a rare case where bettors on both sides ultimately come out as winners.
Also Read: CAF awards AFCON 2025 final to Morocco
Meanwhile, Senegal has responded with “regret and indignation” following the African Football Confederation Appeals Jury’s decision to strip its national team of the 2025 African Champion title, the presidency announced in a statement on Wednesday.
Following the government’s response, President Bassirou Diomaye Faye has now taken direct involvement in this sports dispute, which is supposed to be managed by the Senegalese Football Federation. He has instructed the government, particularly the Minister of Sports, to “take all necessary and prompt measures” with the FSF to file appeals with the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
The CAF’s decision has sparked a strong political reaction in Dakar. Senegal intends to officially challenge the withdrawal of its 2025 African Champion title and defend its national team on the continental stage.
Senegal’s football federation has said it will appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, describing the CAF Appeals Jury’s decision as unjust and unprecedented.
The federation added that it will continue defending what it calls the rights of Senegalese football and intends to begin legal proceedings before CAS as soon as possible.
MSN
